The First Time I Saw Jupiter
by Jack E. Peace
Summary: The night that the second Earth becomes visible in the evening sky is much like every other in Aubrey Posen's life.
1. Back in Time and Out in Space

**Disclaimer: **The characters you know don't belong to me. This story is very (very) heavily influenced by the movie _Another Earth_, which I highly recommend to everyone because it's a fantastic movie. It's also partially influenced by the novel _The Storyteller _by Jodi Picolt. The title for this chapter comes from dialogue from _Another Earth_.

**A/N: **So I'm going to be the first person to say this story is a little out there. It's different from most stuff I write and it's something I started working on for AU day of Chaubrey-Week but clearly I missed the boat on that one. So maybe just...go with me? I'd say the story is Aubrey-centric but also definitely has Chaubrey as well. Thanks to blackindiaink and escape-fic for the constant encouragement. So...let me know what you think and here we go!

**"Into the Dark Night Sky, Back in Time and Out in Space"**

The night that the second Earth becomes visible in the evening sky is much like every other in Aubrey Posen's life. She spends the majority of her day working at her father's law firm and being chastised by her father because she's too slow, too sloppy, too unprofessional, too imperfect. And even though she's heard these words throughout the majority of her life, they don't just roll off her back. She takes each one to heart, internalizing it and fitting it into her brain. But Aubrey knows better than to react in any way; any sign of weakness will only make things worse.

So Aubrey just sits in the passenger seat of her father's car and lets him berate her. Her eyes are focused on the sky above; the stars are slowly starting to appear, offering just the tiniest glimpse of the worlds beyond.

"I just…I don't know why we have to continue having these types of discussions." Marc Posen continues. The fact that Aubrey has said nothing means little to him. "This is an amazing opportunity for you. And it's like you don't even want to be a member of the firm."

Aubrey purses her lips. "No, sir."

She doesn't even really think about the words before she says them. They just slip out. They're the truth but that doesn't mean that she ever wanted them out there, existing and taking on a life of their own. Aubrey doesn't know what's worse: the fact that she's finally spoken the truth or the fact that it doesn't matter either way.

But her words take Marc by surprise. "Excuse me?" Aubrey decides it best to keep silent. There's no point in speaking. "You don't _want_ to be a part of the firm? Why does this not surprise me?" He laughs and shakes his head. "You've always just spit in the face of every opportunity I've given you. Boarding school, law school. All the connections you've made. Christ, I gave you a job at the firm that I built from the ground up, even though you didn't deserve it." Marc looks over at her, an expression of disgust on his face. "You might think you're the only one who's ever been disappointed about their lot in life but you're not that special. You've been nothing but a disappointment."

Aubrey sees the pinprick of blue light in the sky, unfamiliar and growing larger, seconds before another car slams into their own and everything goes dark.

* * *

The afternoon of her father's funeral, Aubrey doesn't move from her hospital bed. The entire day passes with her staring, unseeing, at the television. The news reports about the discovery of Earth Two have been running nonstop for the past several days and each report is still filled with an underlying sense of fear. Where did Earth Two come from? What does it mean? And, above all, what lies below the atmosphere?

But Aubrey could care less about Earth Two. She's watching the reports but all she can see is her mother's face during her one and only visit. All she can hear is the sound of the doctor's voice telling Gwen Posen that her daughter can leave the hospital to attend the funeral and her mother telling her that it would be best if she stayed. _To recover_, she'd said. _You're not welcome_, she'd implied.

Not welcome at her own father's funeral. Aubrey feels like she shouldn't be surprised. It's her fault that her father is dead; if she hadn't distracted him that night, if he hadn't been yelling at her, maybe he would have…not that it matters. He's still dead. And Aubrey still hears his words, clear as day: _you've been nothing but a disappointment_.

Aubrey closes her eyes but she doesn't sleep. She just listens to the beeps of the machines around her and the sound of the newscasters speculating about Earth Two. _It's the end of the world_, they're saying. _Judgment day_. Something Aubrey can relate to.

Even though crying is a useless emotion, it's all Aubrey wants to do. But she can't, thanks to the bandage on the right side of her face, hiding the stitches and the bruising and the swelling. It's probably another reason that her mother wants her to remain confined to the hospital bed. No one wants to see Marc Posen's daughter now that she's as much of a disappointment on the outside as she is on the inside.

* * *

It's been three years since Aubrey has talked to her mother or really anyone at all. There's simply nothing left to say. To anyone. She's managed to build a life around her desire to avoid people and to keep them far away from the walls that she's built since the accident.

But she also feels guilty, in a way, for this secluded life that she's made for herself. She spends her nights at the local bakery, alone in the industrial kitchen kneading loaves and mixing ingredients together for cupcakes and cookies and pretzel rolls and baguettes. It keeps her awake all night and away from the general population, but it also gives her a chance to finally do something that she's always wanted to do. Something she actually enjoys. Her love for baking has always been useless and wasteful, according to her father, and that she actually has time to do something for herself now that her father is dead is not lost on her.

Aubrey loves baking, but what she loves even more is the fact that she has the bakery all to herself from seven o'clock at night until five thirty in the morning. No one to talk to, no one to bother her or, even better, no one to stare at her. She bakes, goes home and sleeps or reads or relaxes and then she does it all over again.

The only thing that keeps her company is her iPod. She plugs it into the docking station before she starts kneading and mixing and creating and Aubrey sings along or hums under her breath and sometimes she loses herself in the music and dances between the counters and mixing bowls. This is the world she's created for herself and she's fine with pretending there's nothing outside of these four walls.

The only person Aubrey has consistently come into contact with since getting her job at the bakery is the bakery's owner, Gail. For years, Gail gave singing and voice lessons to the wealthy and privileged children of New York City's elite. She was in such high demand that some scions had resorted to trying to bribe her to take on their kids as clients. One day, she just got fed up with everything: the life, the society, the pressures and moved to Atlanta to start her own bakery. Owning a small little neighborhood shop had always been a dream of hers and Aubrey admires Gail for having the courage to just leave everything behind and do it. She never could have done that. Hell, if her father hadn't died, she'd still be working at his law firm.

Aubrey sees Gail in the mornings when she comes in to open the shop and sometimes at night if the woman ends up working all day. Even though they see each other only briefly, they've still managed to form a connection through their brief conversations and maybe it's sad but Aubrey considers Gail the only friend she has.

Or maybe friend isn't quite the right word to describe her relationship with Gail. In the three years since Aubrey has gone not speaking to her mother, Gail has stepped in to become the surrogate family that Aubrey felt like she never really had even when her father was still alive. Their conversations might be brief or far from serious, but Gail has never made Aubrey feel unwelcome. She's never made her feel like her very existence is disappointing. And she's never looked at the scar on Aubrey's face and called it ugly.

But that doesn't mean that Gail doesn't have the habit of annoying her. And when she comes in at five thirty that Wednesday morning and asks Aubrey if she'll hang around til seven and help her man the front of the bakery because Jessica is running late, Aubrey is most definitely annoyed.

"Oh, come on Aubrey." Gail is not impressed by Aubrey's death glare. "It won't be so bad. You can't be a recluse for the rest of your life."

"Yes, I can." Aubrey informs her frankly. "I'm surprised you'd even let me up front. Aren't you worried I'll scare your customers away?" She smirks.

Gail rolls her eyes. "Now you're just being dramatic. Sweetie, it's not that bad-" She reaches forward to brush Aubrey's hair away from her face. Aubrey flinches and takes a step back and Gail holds up her hands apologetically. "Sorry, sorry. But seriously, Aubrey, are you going to leave me to fend for myself during the breakfast rush? Jessica will be in at seven." She gives her an overly large grin. "Please?"

Aubrey sighs and shakes her head. "Fine. But I'm leaving as soon as Jessica walks in."

"Fine by me." Gail gives her the once over. "Did you roll in flour or…?" Aubrey looks down at herself. She's definitely not dressed for interacting with people. "You'll be fine." Gail assures her. "Most people will be too asleep to notice."

Being in the front of the bakery is a totally different world. Aubrey's always known that the place does a lot of business because she looks at the figures every night so she knows how much to bake for the following day, but actually being a part of that wave of people is totally different. While Gail mans the register, Aubrey rushes around to bag pastries and bagels and makes coffees and hot chocolates and even boxes up a few cupcakes. And she really hopes those are for later. Aubrey keeps her head down so no one will get a good look at the scar running jagged down the right side of her face but Gail's right: no one really stops to notice her anyway.

It's just shy of seven when the rush starts to die down. There's a good number of people sitting around at the few tables in the shop and Gail tells Aubrey that this quiet period will last until about seven thirty. "Luckily I'll be gone by then." Aubrey says with a hint of relief in her tone. She's not sure she can take much more rushing around.

"Hold down the fort, will you?" Gail questions. "I've had to pee for an hour."

Aubrey feels a bit of trepidation but hopefully Gail will be back before she's required to directly interact with someone.

But, of course, luck has never really been on Aubrey's side.

As soon as Gail disappears into the back, the bell above the door chimes and Aubrey turns to see a willowy redhead come rushing into the bakery. She's trying to balance a stack of folders and her sunglasses and a purse much too big to be practical and she's holding her cell phone in her mouth and generally looks like she could use an extra hand.

The girl unceremoniously drops her stuff down on the counter and breathes a sigh of relief when she takes her phone out of her mouth. "You will not believe how late I'm running." She tells Aubrey without even looking at her. She's too busy trying to reorganize her mess. "My boss is going to kill me for real this time. But you gotta have brain-food, right? Can I get a blueberry, no! a chocolate chip bagel. Those things are crazy good. And a coffee. A large. Is there something larger than a large?"

"Well…no." Aubrey isn't quite sure what to make of this one woman whirlwind.

The redhead finally looks up at her and Aubrey feels her cheeks redden. She's not used to being face to face with strangers. But the redhead just smiles. "Oh, you're new." She states. "I've never seen you in here before. I come in like three times a week. I know everybody."

Aubrey turns away from her to get the bagel. "I'm just the baker." She says with her back to the redhead.

"No way!" The other girl says this like Aubrey just informed her that she was the First Lady. "You are totes the best baker in the city. I swear I could eat your cupcakes every day."

Aubrey doesn't turn around as she continues to get the girl's order together. "Thank you." She mumbles. She's heard from Gail and the other employees that people praise her bread and pastries but she's never heard the compliments first hand.

"Are you going to make those snickerdoodle cookies again?" The redhead continues, going a mile a minute. "Those things were _amazing_. I used to get one every day on my way home from work. I was devastated when you stopped making them."

Aubrey realizes that she's actually expected to answer. "Oh…uh…I'm not sure. They're like a holiday thing."

The redhead does, in deed, look devastated. "Well…I guess I'll live. Your red velvet cupcakes are to die for so I guess that will have to do. Let me get one of those too." She looks toward the case of pastries. "No…yeah, just one. Oh and you have sugar for the coffee, right?"

Aubrey can't help but crack a little smile. "You have a sweet tooth, I guess." She starts ringing up the items.

"What gave it away?" The girl questions with a smile. "I'm Chloe, by the way. I can't believe that I've never seen you before."

Aubrey shrugs, keeping her head angled down to hide her scar from the girl and everyone else in the shop. It's just reflex now, something she does without thinking. "I stay in the back."

Chloe hands over her money and tucks the goodies into her bag. "You should come out more often." As Aubrey hands her back her change, Chloe glances at the time on her phone. "Oh shit! My boss is going to kill me. Thanks! See you tomorrow!"

And, just like that, she's gone. Aubrey stares toward the door almost like she's expecting Chloe to come waltzing back inside.

"She's sweet, isn't she?" Gail's voice makes Aubrey jump and she turns around to see her boss regarding her with a barely concealed smirk. "She comes in almost every day."

Aubrey shrugs and starts wiping down the counters, trying to keep herself busy so she doesn't have to look at Gail. She really hopes Jessica gets here soon.

"I think she's lonely." Gail continues.

Aubrey can't help but give her an incredulous look. "Why? She doesn't seem like the type of person who has trouble making friends."

Gail shrugs. "There's more than one type of lonely. You should know that."

Thankfully, the next person who walks through the door is Jessica and Aubrey doesn't have to respond to Gail's comment. Aubrey heads for her apartment and changes out of her flour covered clothes and falls into bed. She's used to sleeping while the rest of the world goes on without her, so the chirping birds and burning sun don't bother her in the least.

When Aubrey wakes up, it's late afternoon and she showers and changes into a fresh pair of pants and a Sunrise Bakery tee shirt. Another positive thing about not having a job where she has to interact with people is that she doesn't have to dress nicely or make sure her makeup and hair are perfect. She can just go in as herself. Her father would be thrilled.

Jesse, one of the other employees, is in the process of closing the bakery when Aubrey comes in for her shift. He smiles at her and goes back to cleaning the glass of the display cases. He knows by now not to bother to try and drag her into conversation.

In the kitchen, everything is silent and still, just waiting to be brought back to life. Aubrey smiles to herself; she puts her hair up in a ponytail and puts her iPod on. She knows everything that she needs by heart, but this time she adds a few more ingredients to her mental list. After all, no one ever said that snickerdoodles were exclusively a Christmas cookie.

The hours pass in a comforting rhythm and Aubrey is more than happy to lose herself in her tasks. She loves kneading the dough and letting it rise and she loves combing seemingly random things together to create something new and wonderful. One thing her father never understood about baking was that everything had to be neat, orderly and precise. Aubrey likes neat and orderly. She likes seeing results and taking pride in her work. She likes making something good for once.

Jessica is on time for her shift that morning, so Aubrey heads home and falls into her regular rituals. It's raining when she wakes up and she opens the windows to let in the sound of the storm and the smells of the rain. The skies are starting to clear a little when Aubrey leaves to head to work and Earth Two is just barely visible through the clouds. She looks away before she can spend too much time speculating about Earth Two and what lies beyond the atmosphere. Her job makes it easy to forget that Earth Two even exists and that's how she likes to keep it.

When Aubrey gets to the Sunshine Bakery, she finds another one of the employees, Benji, cleaning off the tables and putting the chairs back where they belong. "Hi, Aubrey." He smiles at her and even though he's worked there for almost a year, he still acts nervous around her. She tries not to take it personally because Benji is like that with everyone, even the non-surly and scarred. "Did…did you see the news report? They're talking about making contact with Earth Two."

Aubrey forces herself to make a sound of polite interest. It's not that she doesn't like Benji…she just doesn't like talking. "Hmm."

"Oh! Someone asked for you today." Benji tells her, looking relieved that he remembered to pass along the message.

This gets Aubrey's attention. She stops, halfway to the back, and turns toward Benji. "Really? Someone asked for me?" Benji nods. "But I don't know anyone."

"One of our regular customers." Benji tells her. "She has red hair. Clover or something. I'm so bad with names." He looks strangely apologetic about this. "She bought all the snickerdoodles we had left."

"Chloe." Aubrey says.

Benji nods eagerly. "Yeah, that's right. Are you guys friends?" Aubrey shakes her head. "Oh. Well, she seemed disappointed when I told her you weren't here."

Aubrey shrugs. "I don't know her." She walks into the back, effectively ending the conversation.

She makes snickerdoodles again that night.

**_tbc._ **


	2. All Alone in the Corner of the Night Sky

**A/N: **Thank you so much for everyone's wonderful reviews! I look forward to continuing to hear your feedback, comments and suggestions! I'm sorry for the delay in updating; I just moved and don't have Internet set up yet. Yikes! But the new updates won't take so long, scout's honor! The title for this chapter comes from the song "Cassiopeia" by Sara Bareilles.

**"All Alone in the Corner of the Night Sky" **

It's nearly a week before Aubrey sees Chloe again. If Chloe is still making her daily visits to the bakery, Aubrey is long gone before the redhead comes walking through the door. She keeps making the cookies but that's the extent of the thought that Aubrey gives Chloe.

Until one Tuesday morning when Aubrey is walking out the door as Chloe is walking in. "Oh!" Chloe looks at her, her face brightening. Aubrey dips her head on reflex but realizes too late that her hair is still pulled away from her face. Which is now on display for everyone to see. "I was starting to think you were a figment of my imagination. Except for those awesome cookies."

Aubrey steps away from Chloe, quickly reaching up to take her hair down. She feels a little better when her hair covers the right side of her face. "Oh…I really just work overnight."

"When do you sleep?" Chloe questions. When Aubrey tells her, she looks surprised. "When do you do stuff? Like go out and see people? Isn't that weird? Or lonely? It's like the complete opposite of everyone in the world."

"Not if you're in Australia." Aubrey hears herself say.

Chloe smiles. "Yeah, I guess so. But we're not in Australia."

Aubrey shrugs. "Nope." Her conversational skills are definitely rusty. Not that she's ever really been good at making small talk with strangers. She feels like she'd never really outgrown that awkward teenager stage and the accident has just made everything worse.

"Do you want a cup of coffee?" Chloe questions, breezing right through the awkward silence. "Or tea? So you can actually sleep later."

"Don't you have to work?" Aubrey questions.

Chloe shakes her head. "Tuesday I have off. My kids….students," she corrects, "do some character building thing today."

"You're a teacher?" Aubrey asks.

"I teach music at Pine Elementary." Chloe replies. "Everyday but Tuesdays,"

Aubrey nods. Yeah, she can definitely see this bubbly redhead dealing with tone deaf kids.

"So yes on the coffee?" Chloe presses. "I'll treat."

"I really should get home…" Aubrey starts, glancing uncertainly toward the door. "I have to be back tonight…"

Chloe looks genuinely disappointed. "Do you ever get a day off?"

Aubrey nods. "I don't work weekends."

"Great! How 'bout Saturday? We can meet here for breakfast. If you're not sick of this place." Chloe smiles at her.

"Why?" Aubrey questions, unable for the life of her to figure out the answer.

"Because, you're always here and-"

"No, I mean why do you want to…" Aubrey is unsure of how to finish that question without sounding horribly pathetic. "I mean, you don't know me."

Chloe just smiles at her. "_That's_ why." She tells the blonde. "Anyone who bakes as well as you do has to be awesome." Aubrey isn't sure how to respond so she just stays silent. "So, yeah? Breakfast Saturday?"

Before Aubrey can talk herself out of it, she nods. "Okay. Yeah, that sounds good."

"Great!" Chloe looks like she's been waiting for this moment her entire life and Aubrey still for the life of her can't figure out why. "See you then. Ten o'clock?"

Aubrey nods and with that, they go their separate ways. Aubrey has a dry erase calendar in her kitchen and she normally uses it solely to keep track of what recipes she's going to put into rotation or the occasional doctor visit but when she gets home she writes _Breakfast With Chloe _on the Saturday square.

When she gets off work Friday morning, Aubrey forces herself to stay awake like a normal person so she can actually go to bed at a decent hour that night. She does the grocery shopping and housecleaning and even reads outside on her back balcony to enjoy the sunshine. She's dead asleep by eight that night but it was a productive day as far as she's concerned.

Aubrey wakes up the following morning and feels refreshed and excited about meeting up with Chloe. As she showers, she runs through a list of conversation topics in her head in case there's a lag, though she feels pretty confident that Chloe will have plenty to talk about. As she brushes her wet hair away from her face, Aubrey forces herself to glance in the mirror, something she usually tries to avoid. Her scar runs jagged down the right side of her face, almost from temple to jaw. The skin is puckered in places from where the doctors had to pick glass out of her skin before stitching her back together after her head when through the passenger window. Even after three years, it's still red and ugly and noticeable but Aubrey tries to remind herself that it could be worse. After all, her father would probably be happy just to have a scar. Aubrey touches the scar lightly, wondering, not for the first time, what it looks like to other people. Most adults are far too polite to say anything but she's noticed their eyes flicking toward it instead of the rest of her face when they talk. Chloe has thus far seemed immune, which makes Aubrey smile just a little. But she still wears her hair down, just in case.

Gail looks surprised when Aubrey walks into the bakery. "You do know it's Saturday, right?" Aubrey rolls her eyes and nods. "Just can't stay away, huh?" She smiles at the blonde.

"I'm meeting someone." Aubrey tells Gail when she walks over to the counter. Gail grins at her and wags her eyebrows. "Not like that. Have you always been this insufferable?"

"Yes." Gail tells her frankly, handing over a coffee cup. "At least you finally noticed."

Chloe comes in fashionably late by ten minutes and somehow Aubrey is not surprised. She might not know the redhead all that well but she feels safe in making the assumption that punctuality is not her strong suit. They take their food to one of the wire tables outside because the day is bright and sunny and it just seems like a shame to be inside.

"So what made you start baking?" Chloe questions. "And who bakes for you when you have days off? I mean, this is good but it's not _as_ good." She points to the muffin she's been nibbling on.

Aubrey smiles. "Her name is Beca. It's her temporary job while she's in culinary school."

Chloe waits a beat and then prompts, "So…?" Aubrey gives her a quizzical look. "How did you get into baking?"

Aubrey sighs, turning her head slightly to watch the cars and people that pass by. Chloe's is definitely a loaded question. No one knows the specifics of the accident aside from Gail and Aubrey feels like there's no way to explain herself without bringing up her father. Which is something she tries to avoid. "I…I always liked to bake. It just never seemed like the practical thing to do."

"So did you go to cooking school too?" Chloe questions. "I always wanted to become really good at cooking but…" She shrugs. "I'm great at using the microwave."

"I'm much better at baking than cooking." Aubrey assures her. "I eat a lot of takeout."

"A girl after my own heart." Chloe smiles. "You should teach me how to bake." Her eyes light up at the idea. "Oh that would be so fun! Can you teach me how to make bread? And those amazing snickerdoodle cookies?"

Aubrey finds herself smiling without really even being aware of it. Chloe's enthusiasm is something Aubrey has never really seen before. She'd describe her parents and brother as dogged and committed. Never enthusiastic. In the Posen household, you followed through on something because you had to, not necessarily because it was something you enjoyed. It's refreshing to see someone excited about something, especially something that Aubrey actually enjoys.

"I guess I could. All you need are the right ingredients. Do you have a bread maker or anything?" Aubrey questions.

Chloe pouts. "No. I'm a failure before I even start."

Aubrey laughs and shakes her head. "No, don't say that. You're only a failure if you never try." That was something her father was fond of saying. Of course, she doesn't tell Chloe the rest of the advice: if you don't succeed the first time, that makes you a failure too.

"That sounds like what I tell my kids." Chloe says. "Though they usually have no trouble trying something new, especially if they get to make a lot of noise."

"How long have you been teaching?" Aubrey questions.

This simple question leads to over an hour's worth of anecdotes about seven years of teaching elementary school children to sing and enjoy music. Just as she is with everything else, Chloe is enthusiastic about this and gestures wildly with her hands as she talks and even mimics the voices of her young students. Aubrey is more than happy to sit back and just listen to Chloe as she talks. The smiles and laughs come easy and she doesn't have to think or remind herself how to interact with other people. She just enjoys herself.

Sometimes Aubrey finds herself watching Chloe more than actually listening to the words that she says. Her smile is almost constantly in place but now that they're closer, Aubrey can see the touches of sadness in her eyes, the way that her excitement and cheer seem to stop short of actually making her eyes sparkle. She thinks about what Gail said, about Chloe being lonely and now it seems a little easier to believe.

Before they realize it, it's past noon and the sun is high in the sky, burning away the last wisps of clouds. Chloe lifts her face toward the sun and smiles. "I love spring time and being outside." She closes her eyes and hums contentedly. She reminds Aubrey of a sunflower.

"How do you stand it?" Chloe questions and Aubrey gives her a confused look, trying to follow her train of thought. "Working at night, sleeping all day. Sounds depressing."

Aubrey shrugs. "It's not so bad. It's better anyway, because of…" She gestures to the side of her face and the scar hidden away by her hair.

Chloe arches an eyebrow. "That?" She waves her hand dismissively. "I didn't even notice." Aubrey narrows her eyes slightly and Chloe back peddles. "I did notice. But I didn't care." She sounds so sincere that Aubrey almost believes her. "That seems like a dumb reason to hide away all the time."

Aubrey's never had anyone so directly question her and her choices before. Instead of letting her annoyance rise to the surface, she just sighs. "Tell that to my mother." She mumbles.

Chloe's eyes soften and Aubrey drops her gaze, looking down at her hands in order to avoid seeing the inevitable pity in Chloe's expression. Pity. She hates it more than anything. It's why she doesn't tell people about her father or show off her scar or discuss how she's been ostracized by her family for being ugly inside and out. Though, apparently, she's broken her own rule now and brought up one of those subjects that will inevitably lead to pity.

But Chloe doesn't use those dreaded _I'm so sorry_ words that Aubrey hates so much. Instead she shakes her head. "Well, that's dumb. What about Harry Potter?"

This is definitely not what Aubrey was expecting. She looks at Chloe, her surprise etched on her face. Chloe smiles and nods. "Yeah, Harry Potter. You know, he had that scar on his forehead. It meant that he had survived something terrible."

Aubrey swallows as the thoughts come unbidden to her mind. Her father, angry and distracted. _You've brought me nothing but disappointment. _The brief snatches of memory that come after the accident: feeling her blood trickling down the side of her face as the paramedics loaded her onto the stretcher. Looking up at the sky and seeing Earth Two there, shining in the blackness. And, of course, waking up in the hospital and having a police officer tell her that her father was dead because her mother was no where around.

Aubrey tries to push these thoughts from her mind. "Yeah." Her voice is barely audible. Yep, she had survived. Some people might say that was the problem.

Chloe takes one look at Aubrey and instantly changes the subject. "Well, since you get so few days off, we should make the most of it." She declares. "We need to do things."

Aubrey arches an eyebrow. "What kind of things?" It's a little annoying how she can't help but crack a smile.

"Things you can't do when you're sleeping or working." Chloe gets a crazy grin on her face. "Oh my gosh. The aquarium! We have to go. It's not that far from here and they have new baby sea otters! Babies!" She practically jumps to her feet, grabbing her purse. "Let's go."

Aubrey gets up and lets Chloe tug her down the sidewalk. It would take more effort to come up with a reason not to go then to just follow her led. Plus, she hasn't been to the aquarium and she doesn't have anything else to do. Aubrey doesn't know why it's so hard to admit but she actually wants to go with Chloe. And so, she goes.

* * *

After that, everything just sort of falls into place. They have standing plans to get together for breakfast and "day time things" on Saturday and their plans usually carry over to Sunday, though Aubrey tries to get in a few hours of sleep since she needs to be at the bakery overnight. Aubrey also postpones going to bed Tuesday mornings so she can have a cup of tea with Chloe. Chloe still does most of the talking, going on about her family and her students and tales from her college years and even brief mentions of her romantic misadventures of the past but Aubrey finds it easy to jump in as long as the conversation doesn't shift toward her family or the accident.

Aubrey feels like being around Chloe is like being around spring itself. Maybe it's a dumb comparison but she feels like having Chloe around is like having her own personal sun; she's finally thawing out after three years of winter. Okay, yeah, she probably took that metaphor too far but you get her point. For the first time in a while, Aubrey finds herself looking forward to something other than baking and she starts wishing that she wasn't getting ready to go to into work when the rest of the world was finishing the day.

One Monday night, Aubrey is tying on her apron and heating up the ovens when she hears a knock on the glass doors. She leaves the kitchen, assuming that it's Stacie, one of the other employees who has a reputation for being scatter-brained and leaving her purse behind but she's surprised to find Chloe waiting on the other side. Chloe grins, waves and holds up a bag of takeout for Aubrey to see. She's not supposed to let anyone in after closing but Aubrey ushers Chloe instead anyway. "What are you doing?"

"Surprise!" Chloe says cheerfully. "I thought you might be hungry and want some company and since tomorrow is Tuesday, I thought I'd hang around. You still have to show me how to bake, remember? I mean, if that's okay. I don't want to get you in trouble by being here."

Aubrey weighs her options. She wouldn't mind Chloe's company but it's technically against the rules for her to be here. But a part of her thinks that Gail wouldn't mind since it's Chloe that she's breaking the rules for. "Not going to steal anything are you?"

"Nope. Scout's honor." Chloe smiles and crosses her heart.

Aubrey gives Chloe a quick tour around the kitchens and insists that the redhead start eating while she gets the dough ready to put in the oven for the first batch. But Chloe sets the food aside and comes to stand beside Aubrey. "I'm ready to learn." She beams up at Aubrey, rolling up her sleeves. "So teach away."

"Well, this will be a little different than cooking in your own kitchen." Aubrey laughs. "But I guess the concept is the same."

They start with the different loaves that the bakery sells to the people who hate chain grocery stores and they also get to work on the baguettes that Gail says they run out of by lunchtime no matter how many Aubrey makes. Aubrey finds that it's easier to talk to Chloe while her hands knead and roll the dough, shaping up the different loaves. She tells Chloe about how she used to go to her grandparents' house over the summer and how different her grandmother was from her own mother so that being away from home for weeks at a time was welcome reprieve. "My grandmother first taught me how to bake." Aubrey says as she kneads the dough into submission. "We used to bake all kinds of things and even try out our recipes. They didn't always turn out all that great but…." She shrugs.

Chloe smiles, following Aubrey's lead and kneading at the dough. Only instead of rolling the dough around and gently shaping it, she just starts pounding on it with a closed fist. Aubrey has to bite her tongue to keep herself from chiding Chloe for her rough treatment; it's going to be an ugly and shapeless loaf but Chloe seems to be enjoying herself so…. "That sounds like a lot of fun." Chloe remarks.

Aubrey nods. "It was. Which was exactly the problem, according to my parents. Baking was just a waste of time, even though it was something I really enjoyed." She shrugs. "I hadn't been doing much baking before I got my job here."

Chloe gives her dough another solid whack. "This is definitely not a waste of time. Talk about anger management." She hits the lump again.

Aubrey laughs but doesn't bother to agree with Chloe. She feels like it goes without saying that working at the Sunrise Bakery has been a cathartic experience and, in spite of the crazy schedule, she's never been happier.

Once they put the loaves in the over, they dig into the Thai takeout that Chloe brought. As they talk, the heavenly smells of baking bread fill the kitchen; even after three years of working at the bakery, the smell still makes Aubrey's mouth water and brings her back to her grandmother's kitchen.

The time seems to fly by, which is something that Aubrey has never been able to say before about the nighttime shifts. Chloe helps with baking the cupcakes, muffins and cookies; she's definitely not stingy when it comes to adding cinnamon and spice to the snickerdoodles. "They're better this way. Trust me." Chloe says when Aubrey gives her a look.

By the end of the night, Aubrey is exhausted, sweaty and happy. Chloe's eyelids are starting to droop and Aubrey gives her a gentle nudge. "You should go home and get some sleep. I can clean up here." She assures the other girl.

Chloe gives her a sleepy smile and hops off the counter she'd been perched on. "You need to clean yourself up. You've got flour on your face." She reaches up and brushes her thumb across Aubrey's cheek.

The gesture is quick and absent-minded but for some reason it sends a flash of electricity through Aubrey's body. Even after Chloe pulls her hand away, Aubrey can feel the ghost of her fingers against her skin and the imagined tingle that's been left behind. Maybe it's just the fact that it's been a long time since anyone has touched her or maybe it's the fact that Aubrey has been wondering for the past several weeks if the growing feelings she has for Chloe are genuine or just an effect of finally having someone pay attention to her, but whatever it is, it makes Aubrey feel electric.

Aubrey clears her throat, her mouth suddenly dry. "Well…you're not exactly clean yourself. I'm pretty sure you have flour in your _hair_."

"Sleep first, then shower." Chloe declares as she follows Aubrey to the door of the bakery. It's still dark outside; most of the world is still fast asleep. "This was so much fun, Aubrey. I think that I really have a calling as a baker."

Aubrey smirks. "Maybe with a little more practice…" Chloe sticks her tongue out at her. "Seriously. Thank you for coming. I…it was really nice of you."

Chloe smiles and reaches out to take Aubrey's hand, giving it a squeeze. "Of course. What are friends for?"

They part ways on the promise to see each other over the weekend and Aubrey locks the door and dedicates herself to making the kitchen shiny and new. She's just finished wiping down the counters when Gail comes in, looking bright-eyed and bushy-tailed despite the early hour. She smiles at Aubrey but stops in the middle of her greeting, giving the blonde a suspicious glance. "What's up with you?"

Aubrey gives her a blank look. "Up with me?" She repeats.

Gail nods, setting her purse down in the office. "Yeah, you look different." She gives Aubrey the once over. "Happy."

Aubrey laughs and rolls her eyes. "You make it sound like that's a bad thing." She unties her apron and hangs it up.

"Wait…did you just…" Gail widens her eyes comically. "Oh my God, you did. You just laughed. Who are you and what have you done with Aubrey Posen?"

"Insufferable." Aubrey mutters, shaking her head. She purses her lips to hide a smile.

But she can't help it. She _is_ happy. So what?

_**tbc. **_


	3. Chasing the Sun

**A/N: **Thanks again so much for all your amazing reviews! I'm so glad everyone seems to be liking the story so far! Don't hesitate to let me know what you think! I know this chapter is short but the next few won't be, promise! Title comes from the song of the same name by Sara Bareilles

**"Chasing the Sun" **

Saturday, Chloe shows up at Aubrey's to receive her promised baking lesson. Aubrey can't help but wonder how her apartment looks to Chloe; it's small, neat and tidy. There are no personal pictures or touches at all, aside from a few potted plants in her kitchen and on her balcony. Her kitchen is also full of cookbooks and cookware and there's recipes up on the fridge but no postcards or pictures. But Chloe doesn't seem to notice. "It's so cozy." She remarks as she runs her fingers along the knitted blanket draped across the back of the couch. "It makes me feel relaxed."

Aubrey laughs. "Does your apartment not make you feel relaxed?"

"No." Chloe says firmly. "I have two other roommates, so it's never quiet. Definitely not relaxing."

They go into the kitchen and lay all the necessary ingredients out on the counter and jump right in. Aubrey finds that it's harder than she would have thought to walk someone through baking a loaf of bread from scratch. Her grandmother was either more patient or a better teacher. Or maybe she wasn't quite the control freak that Aubrey is. Aubrey tries to remind herself that baking is supposed to be fun and relaxing and once she forces herself to keep that thought in her mind, it's a little easier to loosen up and enjoy herself.

Chloe stands close enough to her that their hips and elbows brush as they move to add ingredients or knead the dough. Aubrey doesn't mind, though she tries to force herself not to notice. They finally put the bread in the oven and even though it's only early afternoon, Chloe insists that they open a bottle of wine.

Aubrey starts gathering up the bowls and flour and the rest of the ingredients but Chloe reaches out and puts her hand over the blonde's. "You should just leave it for now. Take a break. Relax."

"My father always said that people will never trust you if your house is messy. Everything is just a representation of you." Aubrey says but she stops cleaning and picks up her glass of wine.

"You don't talk about your dad much." Chloe remarks. "Or your family really."

Aubrey looks down at her feet, wishing that she hadn't brought her father up at all. She's gotten so good at keeping her personal life close to the vest, except, apparently, around Chloe.

"I…" Aubrey isn't sure how to respond. How do you tell someone that you're the reason your father is dead and your mother can't stand the idea of you? "My father is dead." She says softly.

Chloe's brow knits and she takes a step toward Aubrey. She doesn't seem surprised by this revelation. "What happened?"

"Car accident." Aubrey still can't bring herself to look at her friend. "It was my fault."

Chloe sets her wine glass onto the counter and slips her hand into Aubrey's and Aubrey looks up, surprised by the contact. For some reason, that simple gesture makes Aubrey want to continue. "I was…distracting him. He was…" She closes her eyes but it doesn't block out the memory of his words. "He didn't see the other car."

"That's not your fault." Chloe says softly. "It was just an accident."

Aubrey shakes her head. "It would have been different if I could have just been better. He never would have been focused on me instead of the road." She squeezes Chloe's hand without meaning to but feels reassured when Chloe squeezes back.

"You can't blame yourself for that." Chloe says firmly. "You can't. It was an accident. The other driver, that's who's responsible, Aubrey. Not you. And your father loved you, he wouldn't want you to-"

Aubrey interrupts with a scoff. "He didn't love me. I was nothing but a disappointment to him. And now I'm just a disappointment to my mother as well. Thank to this." She gestures towards to the scar winding down her face, now in plain view because she always pulls her hair away from her face when she bakes.

Chloe reaches up, her fingers lightly brushing against Aubrey's scar. Aubrey flinches and pulls away on instinct and Chloe's hand hangs in the air between them. Hurt flickers in Chloe's eyes and then disappears but Aubrey sees it anyway. Maybe that's what makes her take Chloe's hand or maybe it's the fact that she's sick and tired of seeing herself the way that her mother does. Whatever the reason, Aubrey reaches for Chloe's hand and lays it against the side of her face. Her face tingles and her skin feels like it's on fire. It's a delicious sensation. She's never let anyone touch her like this and she feels more vulnerable standing here now than she ever has in her life. Aubrey can hear her heart beating and she imagines that Chloe can too.

Aubrey meets Chloe's gaze and she sees a wanting there that makes her wonder if she's just seeing her own desires reflected back at her. Without thinking or planning or stopping to consider the consequences, Aubrey steps forward and presses her lips against Chloe's, which taste like strawberries and wine. Chloe doesn't hesitate; she parts her lips to allow Aubrey better access and slips her hand around the curve of Aubrey's neck. Chloe keeps her other hand against the side of Aubrey's face and she absently trails her thumb against the length of the scar. Aubrey puts her hands on Chloe's waist and pulls them closer together.

Aubrey spares a brief thought for the bread they just put in the oven but it hardly seems important right now.

* * *

"I've never let something burn." Aubrey murmurs as she absently plays with Chloe's hair. "It's definitely a first."

Chloe smiles at Aubrey, rolling over onto her side so they're face to face. They managed to make it from the kitchen to the bedroom, but it was a close call. Aubrey's sure that it would have been symbolic of something if they'd just ended up on the kitchen floor. After all, the kitchen has been pretty good to her over the past few years.

"We'll just have to try again." Chloe says with a shrug. "And if we get distracted again oh well." She smiles at Aubrey. "I think it's worth it."

Aubrey is inclined to agree, especially when she's looking into those sparkling blue eyes. Chloe's skin is dusted with freckles and there are laugh lines around her eyes. "You're beautiful." Aubrey blurts out, unable to keep the observation from leaving her lips.

Chloe smiles, her cheeks reddening. "So are you." Aubrey scoffs and rolls her eyes and Chloe gives her a playful shove. "Yes you are. Don't be silly." She trails her fingers down the xylophone of Aubrey's rib cage, stopping to trace the scar on her side. "Did it hurt?" She questions softly.

Aubrey knows what she's talking about without even having to look down. She's wished time and time again that all her scars were as hidden as the one Chloe is tracing now. "I don't know." She admits. "I was under anesthetic when they took the glass out." She remembers one EMT holding the long shard of glass in place while they'd moved her onto the stretcher. She doesn't remember his face or the sound of his voice as he tried to soothe her. All she remembers is Earth Two burning a hole in the darkness above her head.

"It must have been scary." Chloe whispers, bring her hand up to slip through Aubrey's hair. "I've never been in a car accident."

Even though Aubrey has spent so many years trying to forget that night, it's painfully easy for her to remember everything. "I thought I was dead." She admits. "I remember looking up at the sky and seeing Earth Two for the first time and it just didn't make sense. I thought I had to be dead." She hitches a shoulder in a half shrug. "It still doesn't make sense."

"I know!" Chloe shakes her head. "I can't believe there's a whole 'nother Earth up there. I wonder what's up there."

In three years, that question has yet to be answered. Attempts to contact any life forms on Earth Two have failed and no one wants to send up a space shuttle for fear of what they might actually find.

"I don't know." Aubrey says softly, scooting closer to Chloe and pressing a kiss against her shoulder. She closes her eyes and breathes in the smell of Chloe, the sweet cinnamon smell and sweat. "I don't think about it." She says softly.

Chloe drapes her arm across Aubrey's hips and sighs contentedly. "I think about it all the time." She admits. "How can you not?"

Aubrey opens her eyes and moves back so she can see Chloe more easily. Earth Two reminds Aubrey too much of the weeks surrounding the accident; no one could talk about anything other than the discovery of the planet. Not even the doctors or the nurses could keep their minds off it. It didn't make sense, but it made her angry that so few spared a thought for the death of her father.

Aubrey tries to explain all of this to Chloe but as she talks she realizes that there's something more to the story. "The first time I saw Jupiter, it was in one of those videos that's sped up to show the passage of time. I was probably six years old and my entire class had gone to the Tellis Museum and they showed that film of all the planets. For some reason, I couldn't stop thinking about Jupiter. It looked…" Aubrey smiles a little and shrugs, feeling foolish. "I don't know. It just stuck with me. Anyways, that night I tried to tell my father about the trip and the video of Jupiter. He told me that I was wasting my time and his by thinking about stuff like that. Anything that didn't yield some kind of practical result was just a waste of time. I stopped thinking about Jupiter and all that stuff because I hated…" She breaks off, her father's words ringing in her ears. "I hated disappointing him. I wanted everything perfect. But it really didn't matter. Because that was the last thing he ever said to me." She's never admitted that to anyone before; she'd been far too embarrassed to speak the words out loud.

Chloe leans in and gives Aubrey the lightest of kisses. Aubrey closes her eyes and rests her forehead against Chloe's, suddenly feeling very tired. "You're not a disappointment." Chloe says softly. "Your dad just didn't know the real you."

"You're right." Aubrey's words are soft and barely audible. "I wish he did." She's thought about that over and over for the past few years, wondering if maybe she'd been able to stand up to her father and had told him what she'd wanted to do if he would have respected her then. Maybe he would have been proud to see her succeed in something she enjoyed.

"I think you're pretty awesome." Chloe informs her frankly. "Even though you lured me here under false pretenses."

Aubrey gapes at her. "I did no such thing!" She protests.

Chloe gives her a wicked grin. "I still don't know how to make bread."

"Oh and who's fault is that?"

"I blame you." Chloe informs her. "You're the baker, after all."

Aubrey wrinkles her nose. "Well, _you_ distracted me." Not that she minds…

Chloe leans forward. "Yeah, I guess I did." She gives Aubrey a quick kiss. "And I'm about to do it again." This time, the kiss is much longer.

No, Aubrey doesn't mind at all.

* * *

The next few months of Aubrey's life are sublimely happy. Due to Aubrey's rigid schedule and Chloe's equally inflexible one, they quickly fall into a routine. Aubrey finds herself looking forward to each one of their upcoming dates and anytime at all that she gets to spend with Chloe. She likes getting good morning texts from Chloe and sending goodnight ones back when she's in the middle of baking. Sometimes Aubrey will catch Gail looking at her in the mornings, a knowing smile on her face but she doesn't pay the other woman much attention, though she is glad that Gail doesn't try to pry into her personal life.

One Friday night, Chloe sends her a text about going to Piedmont Park and taking a nighttime picnic and looking up at the stars. Or, in particular, looking up at Earth Two. Apparently NASA has decided to finally make contact with Earth Two and see what they find below the surface. Several of Chloe's coworkers are taking their own picnics and radios to the park in order to listen to the attempts to make contact while actually looking up at the strange planet without a television screen in the way. The weather is pleasantly warm for an autumn evening and even though Aubrey cares little for Earth Two or what NASA might find, she is not against enjoying the pleasant night and Chloe's company. She even bakes snickerdoodles to bring along.

The park is crowded with people and children and dogs and the atmosphere is festive but Aubrey can still sense a bit of tension in the crowd. That underlying fear of what might happen when contact is made with Earth Two is tangible. _If_ contact is even made.

Chloe lays out their blanket and lays down on her back, staring up toward the darkening sky. The air is full of the smells of people grilling and the sounds of dozens of different conversations and the chatter of the radios as NPR prepares to broadcast the attempts to make contact.

Aubrey lays down beside Chloe, resting her head against Chloe's shoulder. "It's weird, right?" Chloe questions. "An identical Earth up there? That just showed up one day. That's weird right?"

"It's weird." Aubrey confirms. "I almost think it's better not to know what's up there. I mean, it's been three years and they haven't come to us or made contact with us or anything. Maybe there's nothing there. Or maybe they don't want anything to do with us."

Chloe shrugs, which is a little difficult with someone's head on her shoulder. "I would want to know."

There's a part of Aubrey that's still afraid of the unknown. The things that you can't plan for or prepare for or predict, those are the things that ruin you. Over the past several months, Aubrey has come to realize that not all unknowns are dangerous; after all, Chloe was definitely not something she would have planned for. But she can't imagine life without her. But, in spite of that, she's still not too keen on the unknown.

They lay that way for a while in comfortable silence, listening to the sounds of life all around them. Aubrey closes her eyes, savoring how she feels right now: content, happy, whole. She hasn't felt like this since her father died. Or, if she was being honest, long before that. Chloe's fingers curl around hers, as though she's reading Aubrey's thoughts. And Aubrey is pretty sure that everything is perfect; this is what she's waited her whole life to feel.

Unfortunately, the moment is all too short.

**tbc.**


	4. This is a Place Where I Don't Feel Alone

**A/N: **Again, thank you guys so much for your amazing reviews! I'm so glad that everyone is enjoying this zany story and I hope that you continue to do so! The title for this chapter comes from the song "To Build a Home" by The Cinematic Orchestra and certain characters, ideas and dialogue featured in this chapter come directly from _Another Earth_. Let me know what you think!

**"This is a Place Where I Don't Feel Alone. This is a Place Where I Feel At Home." **

The headlines the following morning are all the same. No one can talk about anything else, regardless of what other horrors might be going on in the world. There is only one topic of discussion. _Another Earth, Another You_.

The news stations are constantly replaying the footage from last night's contact attempt. Dr Ivy Clayton, a woman pushing mid-sixties who has been working for NASA since she was just an intern, was the one all the cameras and microphones were focused on last night as she attempted to make contact with Earth Two.

Even though there were hundreds of people spread out across Piedmont Park that night, not a sound was heard when Dr. Clayton received a crackle of static to her inquiry as to whether there was anyone on the other end of the signal. Chloe had grabbed Aubrey's hand so tightly that the blonde had jerked her fingers free on reflex. Aubrey hadn't bothered to point out the fact that static was hardly synonymous with actual contact because there wouldn't have been any point. Everyone in that park (and, if she had to guess, around the world) took that static to mean there was someone else there.

And, much to Aubrey's surprise, there had been someone else there after all. The signal had been garbled after first but it had been obvious that there was someone else trying to speak. Then NASA had finally managed to fine-tune the connection and the voice of the woman making contact from Earth Two had been as clear as a bell. Her name was Dr. Ivy Clayton and has she worked with NASA since she'd started out as an intern in the early days of the space program.

As the conversation had continued, the atmosphere in the park had turned from excited to nervous and confused. Because it had quickly become clear that Dr. Ivy Clayton was talking to herself up there on Earth Two. Their memories were identical; their voices were identical; even their reactions to discovering one another were identical.

When other NASA employees got on the radio to test this theory, the results were the same. The NASA employees on Earth Two did the same thing and shared the same identical memories and expressions of confusion as their Earth counterparts.

Aubrey couldn't help but look up at Earth Two as she listened to the chaos unfolding through dozens of radio speakers all around the park. It looked totally different now, now that she knew that it was actually inhabited and not just a rock floating up there in space. And not only was it inhabited but it was populated by the same people that were staring up at the sky in wonder.

And Aubrey knows that there's no guarantee that everyone on Earth is also up there on Earth Two but she knows that most people aren't going to believe that idea. Because why would there be a few scientists up there but not everyone? NASA is going to begin running tests to see how many of Earth's residents have….what? clones, twins? up there on Earth Two but it doesn't matter what they find. Because Aubrey already knows that everyone thinks there's another them up there and there's nothing that anyone can do to change that.

Even Chloe has become consumed by the idea. She spent the night at Aubrey's place after leaving Piedmont Park and spent her time philosophizing about the Chloe Beale from Earth Two and whether that Chloe was cuddling with another Aubrey and wondering the same thing. "It's enough to make my head hurt." Chloe confessed, burying her face against Aubrey's shoulder. "I'm up there. You're up there."

That seems to be everyone's refrain. _I'm up there, there's another me_. That's what Aubrey hears as she's waiting in line to get coffee and breakfast to bring back to Chloe, who is still snoozing in her apartment. _Another me_. Aubrey doesn't like the idea of there being another Aubrey Posen up there. One is enough. And it's weird because she feels great sympathy for her other self, who may or may not be ordering coffee and breakfast for her beautiful girlfriend and thinking about the Aubrey on Earth One and feeling sorry that she had to go through the past three years.

"Isn't it strange?" The woman in line behind Aubrey hasn't stopped talking to her friend since they stepped into the shop and Aubrey is sick of hearing their conversation. "You could like…talk to yourself. Go out to dinner with yourself. It's weird."

"What would you even say?" The friend questions with a little laugh.

The first woman laughs too. "Wow, you look awesome. Great highlights." The women dissolve into laughter.

Aubrey rolls her eyes as she steps up at the counter. _That's_ what they would say to their other selves? But she's not sure she'd have anything more profound to say to Earth Two Aubrey Posen. _Better luck next time_. That sounds about right.

During the walk back to the apartment, pretty much everyone Aubrey passes has their gaze turned upward, staring at Earth Two, always visible up there in the sky. The expressions on the faces she sees range from amazed to afraid and she can't blame them. It's almost too much to wrap your head around.

Back the apartment, Chloe is still sprawled out in bed but her eyes flutter open when Aubrey walks into the bedroom and she offers the blonde a sleepy smile. She crooks her finger at Aubrey and Aubrey feels her heart melt and her knees go weak. At the moment, she really doesn't care how many other Aubrey Posens there are out there in the world. Because none of them can be as lucky as she is.

Aubrey climbs back into bed beside Chloe and Chloe quickly snuggles against her. "I brought you coffee." Aubrey tells her, resting her chin against the top of Chloe's head. "And bagels."

Chloe sighs happily but doesn't make a move to retrieve the aforementioned items. "Can we just stay in bed all day?"

"I thought you wanted to go to the High Museum." Aubrey says, even though she really doesn't have a problem with Chloe wanting to hang around the apartment all day. She's never opposed to spending time with Chloe and she also doesn't hate the idea of not being out there with everyone else and all their Earth Two mania. Here, it's easy to forget about everything else.

Chloe shrugs. "This is better. We can do that tomorrow." She kisses the spot below Aubrey's ear that always causes the blonde to shiver and Chloe knows there's going to be very little protest about leaving the bedroom.

She's right.

Later, when they finally get around to eating the breakfast that Aubrey picked up (the coffee is pretty useless), Chloe brings up Earth Two. "So you really think there's another Chloe up there?" She questions as she spreads strawberry cream cheese across her bagel. "What do you think she's doing?"

Aubrey shrugs. "If there is another Chloe." She says skeptically.

Chloe rolls her eyes. "Don't be a cynic. There's another me up there. And another you."

"Just because she might look like me doesn't mean there's another me." Aubrey mutters.

"But you heard the report last night." Chloe protests. "They had all the same memories, all the same experiences. There's another you." Chloe points the butter knife at her. "So what do you think she's doing."

Now it's Aubrey's turn to roll her eyes. "Well, you seem to know everything, don't you." She teases. "If we are the same then the other Aubrey is up there talking to the other Chloe about how there's not another Aubrey down on Earth One." She sticks her tongue out at Chloe.

Chloe tosses a piece of her bagel at Aubrey and just shakes her head. "Fine. I guess you're right though." She takes a bite of her food and there's a thoughtful look on her face as she chews. "Do you think they call us Earth One?"

Aubrey opens her mouth and then shuts it again. She hasn't thought about that. She just shakes her head. "Why would they call us Earth One and themselves Earth Two?" She mutters. "If it's really true, if they are all identical copies or whatever of us then they've been living their lives long before they saw us." She shuts her eyes as she thinks about the night Earth Two first appeared in the sky. She tries to push the memory away. It's getting easier but not always.

Aubrey opens her eyes again when she feels Chloe's hand rest on top of her own. Chloe gives her a soft smile but doesn't say anything, she just continues eating her bagel. She's learned by now that Aubrey will talk when she's ready but only she can decide when that moment will be and Aubrey can't explain how grateful she is that Chloe knows that about her. She's also grateful that Chloe seems to know exactly what was going through her mind just then.

They don't say anything more about Earth Two for the majority of the day. If they talk at all, it's about the upcoming holidays and Chloe's excitement about the start of the fall and winter months and what she hopes the next year will bring. She's about three months early when it comes to hypothesizing about the new year but apparently Chloe's enthusiasm knows no bounds. Aubrey would never admit it out loud, but she kinda likes talking about the future with Chloe because that means that Chloe is thinking about the upcoming months and year and including her in her thoughts. Aubrey's been trying not to do that very thing, just so she won't get her hopes up when Chloe inevitably moves onto something better but it's hard to remain pessimistic as she listens to Chloe.

Because spending Christmas with Chloe won't be so bad. And spending New Year's with her wouldn't be horrible either. And then maybe even the following Thanksgiving. And Christmas. And New Year's. And the one after that. Yeah, Chloe's pretty infectious that way.

* * *

It was honestly only a matter of time. At least, that's what Aubrey thinks. When Chloe tells her a few days later that she heard on the news that morning that some rich billionaire is trying to put together a voyage to go to Earth Two, Aubrey's not at all surprised. It was really only a matter of time. She figured that NASA would be the first people to suit up and head into space but it somehow makes more sense that it would be someone with too much money that would actually make something happen. Apparently the guy is selling tickets on his mysterious space vessel for outrageous amounts of money and already there are people clamoring to buy the spots.

Aubrey just rolls her eyes as she listens to Chloe relay the news. She really wishes that her schedule was different so that she could be with Chloe in person and listen to her tell this story instead of listening to her girlfriend chatter away over the phone but there's really little demand for daytime bakers so they just have to live with the craziness. These nightly phone calls are another one of their routines that Aubrey doesn't think she could live without and talking to Chloe before the redhead gets ready to go to bed always makes her feel less lonely as she sets up everything in the bakery.

"I think it's a little crazy." Chloe tells Aubrey as she wraps up her story. "I mean I know that we know what's actually on Earth Two now but it still seems crazy to me. Meeting your other self and stuff. Weird."

Aubrey carries a stack of mixing bowls to the counter and sets them down. "Well, aren't things supposed to be exactly the same thing up there? So your other self isn't going to be there because they'll be taking a trip to Earth One…or whatever." She says absently as she looks at the baking sheet for the night.

"Would you go?" Chloe questions.

For some reason that question catches Aubrey by surprise. She never even entertained the possibility of visiting Earth Two so why doesn't she say no right away? But that's eventually the answer that she gives Chloe. "Would you?"

"I don't think so." Chloe replies. "Traveling through space just seems so…scary. And lonely."

Aubrey nods even though Chloe can't see her. "I know what you mean. Not that it matters anyone because neither of us have millions of dollars to spend on a ticket." She laughs slightly.

They talk for a little while longer before Chloe hangs up to go to bed and Aubrey gets started baking. She wishes that she were tucked into bed with Chloe instead of making loaves of bread and mixing batter for cupcakes. She still loves baking but now instead of allowing her to escape from something, it's keeping her from somewhere that she actually wants to be. Aubrey definitely never saw that happening when she first started working for Gail. She wonders what Gail would think about her splitting the shifts more evenly with Beca…even though Beca really isn't the baker that she is…Aubrey is definitely a believer in the phrase _if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself_. Still…it might be worth it to spend nights with Chloe instead of all alone in a kitchen. Aubrey makes things much harder on herself when she thinks about what she could be doing with Chloe right now and…it's going to be a long night.

* * *

Aubrey lingers at the Sunrise Bakery now instead of heading straight home because Chloe has turned her bi-weekly stops to the bakery into a daily thing. "You're going to make me fat," Chloe has said on more than one occasion because apparently she can't walk into the bakery, even if it's just to meet Aubrey, without getting a bagel or pastry of some kind. Aubrey has teased her about this each time but she thinks Chloe probably doesn't mind as much as she lets on.

"So," Gail sidles up beside Aubrey before the blonde even realizes that she's there, "you still seem to be spending a lot of time with Chloe…" She trails off, obviously waiting for Aubrey to fill in the gaps.

Aubrey doesn't say anything right away. She keeps her personal life pretty private, even from Gail. Gail obviously sees her and Chloe together almost every day but doesn't know much more about their relationship past that. Aubrey is never sure how to put into words this thing that she has going on with Chloe. It's been months since they first kissed and fell into bed together and calling Chloe her girlfriend just seems so simple and juvenile. So she often doesn't define it in any way at all; she usually doesn't have to.

But the blush that spreads across her face gives her away. Aubrey isn't even aware of the flush in her cheeks until Gail grins at her. "Hmm, I thought so." The older woman says with a pleased and knowing smile. "I'd kinda had the feeling that you were seeing her outside of the bakery."

Aubrey isn't really sure how to respond to this line of questioning so she just shrugs and wishes that Chloe would just hurry up. She's never had to answer questions about her relationships before. Even before the accident, Aubrey never had much of a love life to gossip about and even if she did, her parents weren't the type of question her about details. But, Gail has always been a little more like a normal mother than her own mother ever was.

Gail smirks as she notices Aubrey's discomfort. "I'm not going to start grilling you, so just relax." She assures the blonde and Aubrey just rolls her eyes. "I just think it's cute."

"Cute." Aubrey repeats with another eye roll. "You make it sound like it's just an infatuation."

Gail arches an eyebrow. "So it's not?"

"We've been seeing each other for months and I really-" Gail smirks and Aubrey realizes that she's been tricked into divulging details of the relationship in spite of herself. "I'm not going to sit here and gossip with you." She informs Gail haughtily, crossing her arms over her chest. She's not a teenager, she doesn't need to discuss her relationship at every opportunity.

Gail puts her hands up in a gesture of surrender. "Okay, fine. I just thought you might want to chat while you were waiting for someone. A special someone…"

Aubrey just smirks and shakes her head. But Gail doesn't wander off to attend to something more pressing and Aubrey doesn't mind her presence, especially since they're standing in companionable silence now. Though she wonders if now might not be the perfect time to broach the subject of splitting her shifts with Beca, an idea that hasn't left her alone since she first considered it several days before. Aubrey tentatively makes the suggestion to Gail and quickly wishes that she had let some time pass between their conversation about Chloe because the look on Gail's face lets Aubrey know that she doesn't have any trouble putting two and two together.

"So you must really like her, huh?" Gail remarks. "I remember I tried to suggest the same thing to you when we first hired Beca and you acted like it was the end of the world."

"I…" Aubrey remembers that conversation, how horrified she'd been at the idea of Beca working more than just the weekends. She'd protested that it was because of Beca's poor baking skills (which have since improved marginally) but really she'd been terrified at the idea of having all that empty time to fill. What was she supposed to do if she didn't have baking to focus on? Now that's much less of a concern. "It's just hard to balance everything. Her schedule is so different from mine and…" _The weekends aren't enough anymore_ Aubrey wants to say but thinks it might be best to keep those thoughts to herself. _I want to see her all the time and it kills me when we aren't together_. Because Aubrey never thought that she would be one of those people: the type of person who let herself fall so madly in love that she let it start to consume her. She thought that type of love was dangerous and unpredictable and she doesn't like unpredictable. But now…she just likes Chloe and whatever that entails.

Gail smirks at her. "I didn't mean to throw you for a loop there, Aubrey." She teases and Aubrey realizes that she's just let the statement hang between them for who knows how long. "I'll talk to Beca about changing the schedule but I'm sure it won't be a problem."

Aubrey smiles at her gratefully. "Thank you, Gail. For everything." There's so much that she's never been able to really say to this woman because voicing her feelings have never been her strong suit. It was never exactly encouraged growing up and she never had much need to learn how to explain herself after the accident. But now she has plenty of reasons to struggle to put her feelings into words.

Gail smiles and reaches out to give her hand a squeeze. They're still sharing a companionable silence when Chloe finally walks into the bakery, late as usual and looking every bit as flustered as she did the very first time that Aubrey ever saw her. "So, totally turned my alarm off this morning instead of hitting snooze." Chloe explains as she hurries over to the counter. "I only woke up because my roommate started fighting with her boyfriend because he burned the eggs."

Aubrey reaches out to help Chloe with everything that she's trying to balance in her hands and busies herself with stacking up the folders of sheet music and stickers and other thing necessary to teach elementary school children music. Gail gets Chloe's coffee and bagel (on the house of course, because there are perks to dating the baker) and bids the younger women goodbye, that knowing smile still on her face.

Most mornings, Aubrey walks with Chloe to her school before heading back to her apartment to sleep for the next several hours. It's definitely convenient to have everything within walking distance because even if their schedules are painfully opposite of each other, at least they can spend time together like this. It's steadily growing colder every day and Chloe walks closer to Aubrey, holding onto her hand tightly. Most people they pass still have their eyes trained skyward, studying the ever present form of Earth Two, but Aubrey has eyes only for Chloe.

Chloe gives her a kiss before she takes her folders back from the blonde and disappears into the school building. Aubrey has a hint of a smile playing across her lips as she walks back toward her apartment. She can't help but glance upward now, studying Earth Two. She wonders if the other Aubrey is smiling and doing the same thing. It's almost too strange to consider.

At home, Aubrey turns on the radio before stepping into the shower to wash off the flour and batter from the night before. She hums along to some new pop song on the radio as she shampoos her hair, that little smile still on her lips.

The song ends and the DJ's voice takes over the air waves. "Have you been dying to go to Earth Two?" She questions, overly chipper and familiar, as though she personally knows all of her listeners personally. "I know I have. Well you might get your chance. Bumper Allen, the billionaire funding the trip to Earth Two is giving away a coveted spot on his shuttle. That's right, you don't have to pay the millions of dollars that he's asking for a ticket if you can win the essay contest explaining why you deserve the spot. You better enter quick because I have a feeling that everybody's going to be dying to get that seat. A free trip to Earth Two, come on! I know I'm going to enter. You can find all the details on our website."

Aubrey tunes her out when she introduces the next song, but she's still thinking about the DJ's story about the contest to get to Earth Two. She wonders what type of essay gets you a spot on the shuttle to Earth Two.

* * *

Beca takes over more of the shifts at the bakery and Chloe couldn't be happier with the change in Aubrey's schedule. And, to be honest, neither can Aubrey. Nothing beats being able to go out to dinner with her girlfriend or just hang around the apartment and watch horrible television and order take out and fall asleep together and wake up in the morning with Chloe in her arms. Sometimes Aubrey regrets turning the bakery over to Beca but those times are few and far between. Especially because she's starting to think that there's nothing more beautiful than Chloe first thing in the morning, when she's still sleepy-eyed with her hair tangled and wild. She loves the idea that she's the only one who ever sees Chloe in these private moments; even though there are parts of Chloe that Aubrey has to share with the rest of the world, this isn't one of them.

Thanksgiving is suddenly upon them and Chloe doesn't ask Aubrey to come to her parents for dinner, she tells her and Aubrey knows that there's no arguing with the redhead. So Aubrey finds herself fretting over what to wear and her makeup and actually meeting Chloe's family members and what to say.

Chloe comes up behind her when she's standing in front of the mirror, trying to figure out the best way to wear her hair (and how best to conceal her scar) and Aubrey smiles when Chloe presses a kiss against the curve of her neck. "I like it when you wear your hair up." She whispers against Aubrey's skin. "You should just pull it back."

Aubrey purses her lips into a thin line. "I don't think so." She mumbles. She lets her hair fall across her face, nearly hiding her scar completely from view.

Chloe just brushes her hair aside and presses her lips against Aubrey's scar and down her cheek and finally to her lips. Aubrey sighs into her mouth, pulling Chloe close against her even though she knows that they need to be walking out the door in less than ten minutes in order to get to Chloe's parents on time. They manage to pull away before they really start to wrinkle their dresses.

Aubrey lets Chloe style her hair even though Chloe uses a clip to keep the tresses off her face. Aubrey tries not to feel self-conscious but her own eyes are drawn to the scar and to the reminder of the accident all those years ago. How can she expect everyone else to ignore it? So much for making a good impression.

The Beales are apparently hosting Thanksgiving for the entire extended Beale clan (or, at least the family members that live in the Southern states) and there are so many people crammed into the two story house that Aubrey can't even begin to keep track of everyone that Chloe tries to introduce her to. Plus, the Beales are all huggers and Aubrey is pretty sure that her ribs are going to be bruised by the end of the night. But no one seems particularly interested in her scar or how she got it, instead focusing on the fact that Chloe introduces Aubrey as her girlfriend, which apparently gives them to right to grill her about her relationship with their daughter/niece/cousin/sister whatever. The only person that seems to even notice the scar is Chloe's eight year old brother Will, who stares at Aubrey's face with the unabashed nature that only kids can display until Chloe's other brother JJ swats him on the back of the head and Will starts howling for their mother.

It's hard to keep up with all the dinner table conversation and Aubrey just sits back and tries to absorb it all instead of participating. The only family members she really manages to keep straight are Chloe's immediate family, like her older sister Justine and Justine's husband and Chloe's parents, who welcome her into the family like they've known her their entire lives. No one asks Aubrey anything personal outside of her job and interests and she can't help but wonder if maybe Chloe prepped them ahead of time so they made sure not to bring up her father or why she wasn't with her own family on Thanksgiving. Or why she hasn't spent a Thanksgiving with her family in three years.

The desserts that Aubrey prepared (with little help from Chloe) prove to be a huge success and end up being the only course not have leftovers. Aubrey can't help but beam with pride as she fields all the compliments about her baking and she promises to give about twenty Beales the recipes that she used.

After lunch, Aubrey volunteers to help Samantha Beale and two other relatives that she can't remember clear off the table and start the process of washing dishes and boxing up leftovers. Chloe gets up to help but gets distracted talking to Justine before she even carries the first plate into the kitchen. Instead of things being awkward without Chloe there as a buffer, Aubrey finds that the atmosphere in the kitchen is comfortable and relaxed, like she's known these people her whole life.

"Chloe talks about you a lot." Samantha remarks as she hands a casserole dish over to Aubrey to dry. "I feel like I know so much about you just from our phone conversations."

Aubrey isn't quite sure what to say to this. She wonders _exactly_ what Chloe has told her mother. "Oh. Sorry." No one should be forced to listen to her depressing family history.

But Samantha just laughs. "Don't be ridiculous. I'm not complaining." She assures Aubrey. "Chloe has never talked about anyone else the way that she does about you. She's never brought anyone over for Thanksgiving either." She informs Aubrey frankly. "I've never seen her this happy with anyone else she's dated."

Aubrey smiles at Samantha and busies herself with drying off the dishes, mainly so she can give herself a chance to process the woman's words. Chloe's past relationships are never really a source of conversation, though when it does come up, Chloe gets that sad and faraway look in her eyes. The one that Aubrey sees in her own eyes sometimes; the one that says that she's not yet healed. "Everyone always leaves," is all Chloe will ever say about it. Aubrey always wants to promise to stay, to be the one who doesn't leave but she can never say the words and she hopes that Chloe knows anyway.

After everything is cleaned up and put away, everyone heads into the family room to watch football and gossip and Chloe falls asleep with her head against Aubrey's shoulder and Aubrey's arm around her waist. Aubrey tries to move as little as possible as she talks to Chloe's mom and sister so that she doesn't wake Chloe up. It's loud and chaotic and there's so much going on but Aubrey feels happy and content, like she's supposed to be here after all.

Chloe isn't the only one who falls asleep; Will passes out on the floor among all the comic books that he's been reading and most of the family members who gravitated into the living room to watch football end up falling asleep before the game is even over. But no one bothers to turn off the television or even switch it to a different channel and the game eventually comes to a close and the evening news takes its place.

Aubrey listens with half a ear to the local feel-good stories about soup kitchens and Thanksgiving generosity and there's even a story about a dog that rescued a mom cat and her three kittens from a restaurant fire. Aubrey makes a mental note to remember to tell that story to Chloe when she wakes up because she'll definitely enjoy it.

"Make sure you stay tuned for _Nightly News with Brian Williams_," the anchor says right before she signs off, "so you can catch his interview with Dr. Richard Berendzen, a noted astronomer who has some interesting theories about Earth Two. Have a great Thanksgiving everyone, good night."

The mention of Earth Two seems to draw the previously scattered family members back together. This doesn't surprise Aubrey, given Chloe's own fascination with Earth Two and she thinks about waking her girlfriend up so that she can watch the report as well. But there's no telling what type of interesting theories are going to be discussed so it might be better just to let Chloe sleep. After all, what more can be said about Earth Two by people who have never been there?

_Nightly News with Brian Williams_ starts up and without much preamble, Brian Williams jumps right into his interview with Dr. Richard Berendzen. Berendzen has apparently been studying the mysteries of space for the past forty years and has been focusing primarily on Earth Two since it first appeared in the sky several years ago.

"Now, Dr. Berendzen, you have some pretty interesting new ideas on Earth Two." Williams begins, folding his hands in his lap and assuming the posture of a dignified news personality. "Ideas that vary considerably from what a lot of people believe about Earth Two."

Berendzen just nods and Aubrey likes the placid expression on his grizzled features. It's nice to see a scientist or TV personality not sensationalizing Earth Two just for ratings.

"It's called the Broken Mirror Theory." Williams continues. "Why don't you explain this remarkable theory to us."

Berendzen shifts in his seat and sits up a little straighter. "Well, you have to first accept the fact that an idea of another Earth isn't all that far-fetched." Aubrey scoffs to herself. "When you think about it, in the grand scheme of the universe, repetition is evitable. There are perfectly contained galaxies out there that we know nothing about. Who's to say there aren't a dozen more Earths out there."

Williams nods and even Aubrey has to admit that this idea makes a _little_ bit of sense when you think about it. "But what about the fact that there's another you up there? And another me? And that they have the same memories and thoughts and experiences." Williams prompts.

"Well that's where the Broken Mirror Theory comes into play." Berendzen explains. "Because everyone considers the people of Earth Two to be exact replicas of us here on this Earth. But what if there's another way of looking at that world? Because you have to take into account that any small variation can occur and even those smallest things can make a difference. You look one way and they look the other. Then everything can be different and you can't help but wonder…what other things might be different? What choices did the other me make that I didn't? What direction did they go in?"

Aubrey sits up a little straighter, forgetting the fact that Chloe is sleeping peacefully on her shoulder. She feels her breath catch in her throat. The rest of the people gathered in the living room are equally silent, engrossed in this new theory about the people of Earth Two.

"And what makes you think these changes have started occurring?" Williams presses.

"When we came aware of each other, the mirror shattered." Berendzen continues. "In that moment, everything could have changed. We're no longer perfectly matched copies of one another. Now there's another you out there who is making different choices and doing different things. It's a real life example of the road not taken."

Aubrey doesn't hear anything else that is said during the interview, she's too busy focusing on what has already been said. No one has ever suggested that Earth Two might be following it's own path, that things aren't perfectly lined up with the events on Earth. And if Dr. Berendzen believes that this changed happened when the two Earths became aware of one another…Aubrey remembers that moment well. She doubts that she'll ever forget listening to her father berate her and looking up to see Earth Two shining in the sky. That could have been the moment that the synchronicity ended and everything became different. And moments later, the other driver, distracted by Earth Two, slammed into their car and changed Aubrey's life forever. But did it also change the life of the other Aubrey forever? Could their paths have changed so quickly?

With a sigh, Aubrey leans against the back of the couch once more, trying to relax her ramrod straight posture in spite of the tension she feels. The movement causes Chloe to stir and her eyes flutter open and it takes her a minute to figure out where she is and why she's been sleeping against her girlfriend's shoulder.

"What's going on?" Chloe questions, sitting up straighter and brushing her hair away from her face. "Have I been asleep for long?"

Aubrey glances toward Chloe but her mind is still on the telecast. "Uh…an hour maybe." She replies, distracted.

Chloe looks at her carefully. "What's the matter, Bree?"

Before Aubrey can answer, Will is climbing all over his sister like she's a jungle gym, his comics and nap forgotten. "They were talking about Earth Two on the TV." He informs Chloe, apparently just as enthralled by the mystery planet as the rest of his family. "The man on the TV said that maybe the other Will isn't the same as me after all."

"What are you talking about Will?" Chloe figures that she might have an easier time following this information if she hadn't just woken up from a nap.

Chloe's uncle or cousin or someone fills her in on the news report and Chloe glances over at Aubrey once more, her expression more understanding now and Aubrey feels like Chloe knows exactly what she's thinking.

They don't get a chance to discuss the Broken Mirror Theory until they're driving back toward Aubrey's apartment and even in the privacy of the car, Aubrey still isn't sure how to give voice to the thoughts in her head.

"Things might be completely different." Aubrey mutters, absently reaching for Chloe's hand and twining their fingers together.

Chloe nods once. "Or maybe not." She says softly. "It might all be the same."

Aubrey both hates and loves right now that Chloe knows exactly what she's thinking, that Chloe knows without a doubt that she's thinking about the night of the accident and how on Earth Two maybe things went differently. Maybe there was no accident. Maybe her father survived. Maybe the other Aubrey was a better daughter and wasn't distracting him from the road and the other drivers. Maybe…maybe…

But maybe Chloe is right. Maybe things played out exactly the same way on Earth Two as they did in Aubrey's reality. Maybe the other Aubrey has made all the same choices that she has. Maybe she's getting hung up on this theory for no reason. Maybe…maybe…

Aubrey tries to push the thoughts from her mind when they get back to her apartment and it becomes remarkably easy when Chloe pulls her to her and kisses her with one hand snaking through her blonde locks and the other slipping underneath her dress. And later, when they're laying on top of the tangled covers and Aubrey's lips are bruised and her skin is flushed and raw, Aubrey's thoughts still don't shift back to Earth Two or the Broken Mirror Theory or anything. All she can think about is Chloe and that's totally fine with her.

"My family really loved you." Chloe says sleepily, her head resting on Aubrey's chest and her fingers lazily skimming across Aubrey's ribs. "My mom kept talking about you. I'm really glad you were there."

Aubrey kisses her forehead and smiles. "Thank you for inviting me." She says. "I had a great time." She presses her lips against Chloe's skin again. "I…" _love you_. But the words freeze in her throat and even seven months of being with Chloe can't shake them lose.

But it doesn't seem to matter because Chloe drifts off to sleep before further conversation or clarification becomes necessary. Aubrey tries to let herself slip into sleep as well, lulled by Chloe's body heat and rhythmic breathing. But it's just not possible. Because without Chloe to provide a welcome distraction, she's thinking about what Dr. Berendzen said earlier and how there might even be the slightest possibility that on Earth Two there's a Marc Posen and a family that might still love her. And that minute possibility is impossible to toss aside.

Aubrey slips out of bed after she's certain that Chloe is asleep and retrieves her laptop from the living room. It doesn't take her long to find Bumper Allen's "Win a Trip to Earth Two" website and she stares at the box where she's supposed to type in her essay explaining in five hundred words why she deserves the free spot to Earth Two. In the end, Aubrey decides to stop thinking so much and just tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help her God and Bumper Allen. Aubrey submits the entry before she can talk herself out of it and then she's finally able to fall asleep curled up around Chloe.

**tbc.**


	5. I'd Settle for a Little Equilibrium

**A.N:** You guys and your reviews and feedback are totally awesome! Thank you so much for sharing all your thoughts and, of course, taking the time to read through this crazy story. There are some things in this chapter that require a bit of suspending belief (just because I don't want to mess around with the realities of space travel, oh well) and thanks to blackindiaink who helped out with this chapter. Title comes from the song "Hercules" by Sara Bareilles.

**"I'm On the Hunt for Who I've Never Yet Become. But I'd Settle for a Little Equilibrium" **

Aubrey doesn't mention her essay to Chloe, mainly because in the morning it seems like nothing more than a vague memory. Honestly, she feels better about the whole thing and her yearning to test whether the Broken Mirror Theory is more than a theory seems to have mostly dissipated. It's as though putting it all down in words was really all she needed. Because the likelihood that something so drastically different happened on Earth Two is slim to none and she's always gone through her life refusing to waste her time thinking about pointless or non-practical things. Things like Jupiter and the cosmos and Earth Two and whether her father is still alive somewhere beyond the atmosphere. Aubrey has plenty of pertinent things to focus on right now, like Chloe and baking and finally taking her life off hold after almost four years.

True to her word, Gail has rearranged the schedule so that the shifts are split more evenly between Beca and Aubrey. And Aubrey doesn't feel like she's been replaced or forced into retirement. It's the perfect balance now between the things that she loves. Though now that her sleep schedule isn't as rigid, Aubrey has some time adjusting to the fluctuating hours. But she's willing to deal with it because it means she gets to spend more time with Chloe.

Which really seems to have impacted their relationship for the best. Not that Aubrey was ever worried about things with Chloe, but now that they're able to spend more time together, she realizes that this is exactly what they needed. Because the little snatches of time they were able to steal to be together weren't going to be enough forever, not for Chloe and not for Aubrey and Aubrey feels like maybe she was a little naïve in assuming that they'd be able to make it work that way. She also feels like she's going to get spoiled being able to see her as much as she does now.

Chloe has all but moved into Aubrey's apartment. Her things are mixed in with Aubrey's in the laundry and in the closet and on the bathroom floor. Her shampoo sits in the caddy in the shower and she has the DVR set to record those stupid reality shows about dating and losing weight. It just made sense for them to spend more time at Aubrey's place because Chloe's two roommates were loud and obnoxious all the time and at least at Aubrey's apartment they have their privacy. And now all the time spent in Aubrey's place has led to Chloe's gradual and unofficial moving in and, to be honest, Aubrey doesn't mind so much. Because Chloe has already seen her at her most vulnerable moments, Chloe already knows the truth about everything, about the accident and how she's responsible for her father's death and how she's a failure as a daughter and sister. Chloe has seen all her scars, not just the one on her face, and doesn't seem to care. So why would Aubrey balk against sharing a space with her? Or, for that matter, sharing a future?

Because, honestly, Aubrey has been in love with Chloe longer than she would care to admit. And being able to spend more time with her and meet her family and practically live together has only cemented the way that she feels about her. And she's enjoyed getting to know Chloe and all her little quirks, like the way she sometimes talks in her sleep and gravitates toward Aubrey if they ever separate during the night. And how she hums to herself while she grades papers and sings in the shower and how she knows random tidbits of information about the most random things. Aubrey loves the sound of her laugh and how she's read the same book twenty times and how she still can't manage to get the hang of baking but she can cook almost anything else better than Aubrey has ever been able to do if she really takes the time and effort to sit still long enough to do it. Chloe has a tendency to forget little day-to-day things or neglect to do things that Aubrey considers important, but she remembers each one of her students' birthdays and Aubrey's favorite color and the first thing she ever baked and calls her parents at least once a week to talk about nothing in particular. And she cries when those commercials about the animals in the shelters come on TV and makes herself laugh when she tries to tell Aubrey stories about her day. Aubrey loves being the person that can make Chloe happy, even though she has no idea how that even happened. But she's not going to spend too long questioning it, lest someone realize their mistake.

Christmas is fast approaching and the school year is winding down until January and Chloe has channeled all her extra time into decorating Aubrey's apartment with the appropriately festive decorations. And she sings Christmas carols so frequently that Aubrey always has them stuck in her head and Chloe is always interested in trying out some new holiday recipe. She's trying to bake Christmas cookies for each one of the students in her classes ("What if some of them don't get to bake cookies with their parents?" This idea is very unsettling to Chloe) so Aubrey finds herself baking even on the nights when she doesn't have to go into the Sunrise Bakery. And Chloe sits at the kitchen table and decorates the little reindeer or snowmen or gingerbread men and they sing along to the carols on the radio.

"You're wearing your hair up a lot more." Chloe remarks, adding a red hot to make one of the cookies into Rudolph.

Aubrey looks at her quizzically. "I always wear my hair up when I bake." She points out, sliding another tray of cookies into the oven. She doesn't think she's ever made this many Christmas cookies before, not even when she was little. But she has to admit that it's kind of fun…even if the decorating gets a little messy.

"That's not what I mean." Chloe says with a shrug, adding some red and green sprinkles to the cookies. She pushes one of the chairs out with her foot and gestures for Aubrey to come and sit down next to her, which the blonde does without complaint. "I mean all the time."

Aubrey shrugs, as though this idea hasn't occurred to her. Even though she's been noticing it as well. It's getting easier now to look at her reflection in the mirror and instead of thinking about the night she lost her father, she thinks about Chloe's lips against her skin and her fingers in her hair. It's not perfect and Aubrey figures she probably never will be, that she'll constantly hold onto that guilt and those memories, but it's a start.

Chloe makes a face at her, no doubt unimpressed by her lack of response and then leans forward and kisses Aubrey. Aubrey can tell that Chloe has been sneaking a cookie or two from her kids because her lips taste like icing and sugar and she can taste the sprinkles on her tongue.

They kiss until Aubrey is breathless and feeling light headed. Chloe moves away just enough to let them catch their breath and when she whispers, "I love you" for the first time, her lips brush against Aubrey's.

Aubrey stiffens and the words that she's been wanting to tell Chloe for months freeze on her tongue. All she wants to do is say them back, to whisper _I love you_ while "Silent Night" plays on the radio and the kitchen smells sweet but she starts to get hung up on nuance and how it seems impossible that those three words are ever going to possibly say everything she wants.

Chloe pulls her back in for a kiss and Aubrey tries to say with actions what she can't manage to say with her words. She hopes that Chloe will realize that she's been saying it all along, that every touch, every smile, every kiss, every word has just been her way of saying _I love you, Chloe Beale_.

And maybe Chloe knows anyway, because she doesn't seem to mind that Aubrey doesn't say the words out loud. Because maybe it's not about the words at all, maybe it's about the little things. Like sitting together at the kitchen table and baking Christmas cookies for elementary schoolers and stealing kisses and red hot candies.

Aubrey whispers the words into the darkness of the bedroom after Chloe has fallen asleep. "I love you," she says as she strokes Chloe's hair, "I love you." Testing the words out, feeling them on her tongue, giving voice to the idea like she did the night her father died, when she admitted that she wanted a life different than the one she had and the words became a living thing. Now she wants to speak aloud the words of the life she wants, the one that she's happy with, the one that she has with Chloe.

* * *

Aubrey asks Gail to rearrange the schedule once again, albeit temporarily this time, so she can attend the chorus holiday concert, which is being conducted by Chloe. The redhead doesn't have high expectations for how the show is going to turn out but at least the kids will be adorable, so she figures the parents aren't going to be all that upset. Aubrey could care less about seeing a bunch of third, fourth and fifth graders singing holiday songs. She's just happy that Chloe wanted her to come along.

Gail makes the changes to the schedule, but not without adding commentary of her own. "Have you thought about finding yourself a new job?" She questions, arching an eyebrow.

Aubrey purses her lips. "Trying to get rid of me?" She says in what she hopes is a joking manner. But she's not quite sure that she pulls off the tone because there's a part of her that is worries that maybe Gail is trying to push her out the door because of all the scheduling changes and instability. And a part of her wonders if Gail might not have a point after all.

Gail just rolls her eyes. "Why would I want to get rid of the best baker in the city?" She questions with a smirk. "Of course I don't want to get rid of you. But it just doesn't seem like spending your nights in a bakery is really what you want to be doing anymore."

Aubrey starts to protest but Gail doesn't give her the chance. "There's nothing wrong with that Aubrey." She assures the younger girl. "The things that you need in life change. No one knows that better than I do. And maybe now you don't need to spend all your time in a bakery."

Even though Gail assures her that it's not like she has to make any decisions right now, Aubrey can't help but let the thought of quitting her job at the Sunrise Bakery start percolating in her mind. She thinks about it during the chorus concert when she figures she should be paying attention to the adorable little kids on stage in their reindeer antlers and matching uniforms but she didn't come for the kids anyway. She came for the woman in charge of wrangling the gaggle of largely tone deaf children and as Aubrey sits in the audience she can't help but watch Chloe, charmed by her smile and her enthusiasm. And she wonders if Gail is right, if the things that she needs in her life have changed and now she needs the person who is currently mouthing the words to "Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah" to keep her kids on track.

After the concert is over, Chloe drags Aubrey to and fro as she tells her kids happy holidays and talks to parents and helps clean up the cafeteria and oversees the stacking and return of all the chairs that had been dragged into the room from various locations. Aubrey does her best to pitch in but for once it's to help Chloe out instead of to keep her face hidden and to avoid the other people around her.

Finally, everything is squared away and the building prepares to hibernate for the next few weeks. Even though the weather is chilly, especially now that the sun has gone down, Aubrey and Chloe opt to walk back to Aubrey's apartment. The night sky is clear and cloudless and Earth Two shines down brighter than any of the other stars and the second moon reflects that light back down at them. Aubrey can't help but lift her head and study the planet as she walks with her elbow linked through Chloe's and their shoulders pressed together.

"It's weird to think about," Chloe muses when she notices what has Aubrey's attention, "that maybe things aren't the same up there after all."

Aubrey nods but doesn't say anything to add to Chloe's comment. Because she doesn't think it's weird at all, just promising and interesting. What is really going on beneath the surface of Earth Two? Is her father still up there somewhere, counting down the days until Christmas? Is there another Aubrey up there who figured out how to be a good daughter before it was too late? Is she going to spend this Christmas with her family, something that Aubrey hasn't done in years. Or are things the same, at least in terms of what she's lost.

"What if we don't know each other." Chloe's words bring Aubrey back to the present and she glances at her girlfriend. "What if, on Earth Two, we never found each other."

Aubrey stops walking so that she can pull Chloe to her, kissing her chilled lips. "That doesn't matter." She says softly. "Because you found me."

Chloe moves closer to her, nuzzling against the side of Aubrey's neck, her breath hot against Aubrey's skin. "I think it was just good timing." She says softly. "We found each other. It's nice to be found. It's nice to find someone who doesn't…" She trails off, looking hesitant and vulnerable, that hint of sadness back in her eyes. Aubrey doesn't push her to finish, gives her a gently understanding smile instead. "Want to leave."

And Aubrey knows exactly how Chloe feels. How it feels to always be the one who gets left instead of the one who choosing to do the leaving.

Aubrey holds her close and thinks that now, now is the perfect time to tell Chloe that she loves her. Now is the time to let Chloe know she doesn't want to leave, that she's never felt safer and happier than she does with her. But still, she can't and she doesn't know why. But thinks that surely Chloe has to know how she feels. And hopefully that's enough.

* * *

Christmas morning is spent in Aubrey's apartment, or rather, primarily in Aubrey's bedroom. They exchange gifts and kisses and make pancakes in the kitchen wearing a hodgepodge of one another's clothing. And then it's back to the Beale family home, where Aubrey is surprised to receive gifts from Chloe's family even though she has a perfectly wrapped present for each of them. They play board games with Will and video games with JJ and each too much for dinner and watch _What a Wonderful Life_ even though Chloe pushes for _A Charlie Brown Christmas_. And Chloe kisses her under the mistletoe hanging in the foyer and Aubrey wants to whisper _I love you_ into her lips but she just kisses back instead.

And it's pretty much the perfect day. The first Christmas where Aubrey doesn't think about her family and wonder if they're thinking about her. She's happy and everything is perfect and she wants this moment and the way that she feels to last forever.

It doesn't, but it was good while it lasted.

* * *

The following morning is another that Aubrey has off, which means that she can savor another morning spent in bed curled up around Chloe while the redhead drifts in and out of sleep. Since spending so much time with Chloe, Aubrey has come to understand why Chloe is always late to everything. It takes her longer to fight off the remnants of sleep and actually wake up than anyone else Aubrey has ever known. Not that she's known that many people but still, you get her point.

But Aubrey has no problem just laying there in bed with her arm around Chloe's waist, letting the day pass her by. She used to hate the idea of wasting time, something drilled into her by her parents when she was younger and they scheduled every second of her day that wasn't spent in school. But Aubrey doesn't consider any second spent with Chloe to be a waste of them. She has to work at the bakery that night, so she might as well enjoy herself while she can.

The idyllic moment is shattered when Aubrey's phone starts ringing and she hops out of bed as quickly as she can to grab it before it can wake Chloe. She doesn't recognize the number on the screen but she answers anyway, strictly out of curiosity. She doesn't know who's calling her so soon after Christmas or, to be honest, who could possibly want to call her at all.

"Is this Aubrey Posen?" The voice on the other end of the line questions. Aubrey can't place the speaker but he seems pleasant enough, at least from what she can tell from those four words. When she confirms that she is, he goes on to introduce himself. "This is Bumper Allen."

It takes Aubrey a second to place where she knows that name from. And another second to realize why he could possibly be calling her. "Oh. With the shuttle to-"

"Earth Two, that's right." Bumper interrupts, apparently interested in doing the majority of the speaking. "Well, I read your essay and I was definitely intrigued by your story. It sounds like it could be interesting to see what would happen if you got the chance to go to Earth Two. I like things that interest me." He informs her. "I'd like to offer you the seat on my shuttle."

Aubrey feels her eyes go wide, even though she knew this was inevitable, given that it was unlikely that Bumper Allen was just calling to see how her Christmas had been.

"Oh." Is all Aubrey can manage to say at the moment. Writing the essay seems like it happened a lifetime ago to someone else entirely. She barely remembers her words but the sentiment is easy enough to recall because it involves a question she asks herself almost every day: what if things were different? What if I was better?

Bumper laughs. "Yeah, it's pretty impressive, I understand why you're speechless. Why don't you take a minute to let it all process and my secretary will be in touch. All right? Great." And with that, he hangs up.

The whole conversation probably lasts all of two minutes but Aubrey feels like everything is different now. There's a ticket to Earth Two with her name on it, a chance to see for herself if things are different under the atmosphere of the unfamiliar planet that is actually all too familiar to all of them. Her father could be sitting in his office right now. Or he could be in the Peachtree Cemetery next to his parents. Now she has the chance to find out.

Aubrey sits down on the floor, leaning her back against the closet door. She can't think about anything past the possibility that her father could still be alive, that she might be able to see him again. It's not just an abstract thought anymore, it's something that can be realized.

"Who was that?" Chloe's voice pulls Aubrey back to the present and she looks toward the bed. Chloe is sitting up, blinking the sleep from her eyes, her hair tousled and crazy. From where she's sitting, Aubrey can see the faint sprinkle of freckles across the curve of her shoulders and she knows from experience that they continue across her skin to the places currently hidden by the blankets.

Aubrey gets to her feet, leaving her phone on the floor and climbing back into bed with Chloe. She pulls Chloe in for a kiss, the gesture slightly desperate and fevered. Aubrey wants to connect herself back to the present instead of letting herself become lost in a weird combination of the past and the future.

Chloe pulls away, a sleepy and satisfied smile on her face. "So who was that?" She questions again.

"Nobody." Aubrey doesn't know what she lies. She's going to have to be honest about everything sooner or later. Apparently it's just going to be later.

And even though she doesn't say anything about it, Aubrey can tell that Chloe knows she's lying. And even though Chloe doesn't press the issue, Aubrey can see the hurt in her eyes and the curiosity, not for the truth but to know why Aubrey would possibly lie.

* * *

It takes nearly two weeks for Bumper's secretary to call Aubrey back with the details of the shuttle to Earth Two. In the in between time, things continue on as normal for Aubrey and Chloe, in spite of the fact that Aubrey finds herself thinking about Earth Two far more frequently than she ever has before and Chloe can tell that there's something weighing on her mind. It becomes the elephant in the room, that thing that they never talk about even though they both want to.

In spite of this fact, things feel normal. They share a New Years kiss and Chloe whispers in Aubrey's ear that she loves her and Aubrey says the words back in her mind and lets the sound of the partygoers around them fill the silence. Chloe's touches and kisses have become more harried and desperate recently, as though she knows what's coming in spite of the fact that they haven't talked about the mysterious phone call since it happened. Chloe holds her a little closer as they drift off to sleep and kisses her a little harder and bruises her hips and thighs with her kisses and her fingers. And Aubrey holds Chloe closer and kisses her harder for different reasons. Even if she goes to Earth Two, it's not like she's going to be gone forever, it's not like she's going to lose Chloe. So why does it feel that way sometimes?

But it becomes impossible to ignore the issue at hand when Aubrey finally gets a call one morning from a woman who introduces herself as Stacie Conrad, Bumper Allan's personal assistant. Aubrey has been sitting at her kitchen table, readjusting to the sensation of the apartment being Chloe-less, just as she always does when her girlfriend leaves for work. Out of sheer curiosity, Aubrey has been browsing job listings on her computer, interested to see what else is out there. She doesn't know what else she might be good at; she's spent her life being Marc Posen's perfect daughter and a baker, she doesn't know what else she's qualified to do.

When the phone rings, Aubrey jumps, surprised by the intrusion to her quiet musings. She grabs her phone and her heart jumps to her stomach when she hears Stacie introduce herself on the other line.

For the next twenty minutes, Stacie explains the specifics of the trip while Aubrey dutifully takes notes, writing down every little detail to keep herself from thinking about what she's actually signing up for. The shuttle for Earth Two is set to depart the last week of January so that it will arrive on Earth Two on the anniversary of the discovery of the second planet. Aubrey finds this to be very appropriate considering her reasoning for wanting to go to Earth Two in the first place. Why not arrive on the day of her father's death to see if her father might somehow still be alive? Aubrey knows how crazy the whole thing sounds, but she can't help herself. Now the idea is taking root and it's becoming harder to remind herself that everything on Earth Two might be exactly the same. She might show up to find everything is exactly the same: a dead father, estranged mother, a brother who pretends she doesn't exist and she might find the other Aubrey perfectly happy with the other Chloe and not at all possessed by the idea to venture to another planet seeking dead family members.

Stacie informs Aubrey that the trip to Earth Two will last a week and then they'll either have to be back at the launch site or be left behind. She seems to think that there are several people who might be willing to stay behind on Earth Two and Aubrey wonders if Stacie thinks that she is one of them. The idea sends her heart dropping to her stomach again. Of course she would never stay, not with Chloe still here. Even if her father was still alive. Right….?

When Chloe comes home from work that afternoon, Aubrey doesn't say anything to her about Stacie's call or the impending trip to Earth Two. She has to work that night but Chloe has the next day off so she figures that it's the perfect time to talk about it then, especially since she's running out of time. Instead she just listens to stories about Chloe's day and tells her that she's maybe, possibly considering the idea of finding another job. Chloe seems to be a big proponent of this idea and helps Aubrey brainstorm other possibilities. Apparently there's a cupcake place opening a block away from Chloe's school that is in search of a daytime baker, which prompts Chloe to go off on an excited tangent about free cupcakes. Aubrey just grins as she listens to Chloe talk, loving how easy and natural this moment feels as much as she loves Chloe herself.

Aubrey goes to work and her thoughts are torn between Chloe and the trip to Earth Two. It's a week, plus the travel days in between. A little more than two weeks. It's not a lifetime. So why does she still feel like it has to be one or the other?

When Aubrey gets home that morning, she's surprised to find the lights in the kitchen and living room are on and the smell of coffee drifting in from the kitchen. Usually Chloe is fast asleep when she gets home and Aubrey loves nothing more than to slip into bed with her and either drift off to sleep or wake the redhead up with kisses and wandering fingers. Chloe has tried to stay up more than once but Aubrey usually finds her passed out on the couch or asleep at the kitchen table. This is not the case. Aubrey finds Chloe wide awake in the kitchen and can tell by the expression on Chloe's face that something is definitely the matter.

Chloe looks at Aubrey and holds up the legal pad that Aubrey remembers leaving on the kitchen table next to her laptop. There's information about employment opportunities at the top of the sheet but the bottom is full of the stuff she needs to know about the trip to Earth Two. Aubrey feels like an idiot for leaving it out because this is most definitely not what she had in mind for this conversation.

"Aubrey…" Chloe tosses the notepad back onto the table. "Is this what's been going on with you? You're going to Earth Two?"

Aubrey opens her mouth but closes it again. She suddenly can't find the words that she needs to explain everything that's been going on: why she's going and why she hasn't been able to tell Chloe.

Chloe's brow knits and she just looks at Aubrey with an expression that Aubrey can't quite discern. "Since when are you thinking of going? We never talk about Earth Two. We've never talked about anything like this. Why?"

With a sigh, Aubrey moves toward her so that the distance isn't so great between them. Physically at least. "Do you remember that essay competition about winning a trip to Earth Two?" Chloe nods. "After that report that was on Thanksgiving night, about the possibility that things on Earth Two aren't a perfect mirror for things down here…I entered. And I won." She still can't believe the last part, that out of all the people who had to have entered, she was the one to get this chance.

Chloe purses her lips and nods slowly. "Because of your father." Now it's Aubrey's turn to nod. "You want to go up there to see if your father is still alive."

"Yes." Aubrey nods again. "I…I want to see if it's possible."

For a minute, Chloe is silent and Aubrey wishes more than anything that she could hear the thoughts running through her mind. In order to fill the silence, Aubrey starts talking nervously, something that she hasn't done for years. "It's only a week long trip. Plus the travel time. So I won't be gone for long. And then-"

"Why?" Chloe interrupts before Aubrey can prattle on. Aubrey looks at her quizzically and she clarifies, "Why do you want to go to Earth Two?"

"Because of my father-"

"But think about that, Aubrey." Chloe interrupts her once again. "Your father is still alive up there…then what? The other Aubrey is still going to be up there too. You just want to go up there and see that he's alive, that things are different for the other you and then come back here and things aren't like that. Your father is still dead, your family still won't talk to you. What's the point?"

These are all questions that Aubrey has been asking herself, especially over the past several hours. What _is_ the point? To see how her life could have been if she had been a better daughter? But it's not that simple. "I just have to know." Aubrey says softly. "I just want to know, to see him…"

Chloe's expression softens and she moves closer to Aubrey. "I understand. I know that it's been hard for you, losing your father and your mom not talking to you…I can't even imagine. And I know that you really never let yourself…just grieve properly but this…I don't think you should go."

She says this last part softly and Aubrey has never seen her look so vulnerable or lost. This is a Chloe that she hasn't seen in months. This is the Chloe that Gail saw when she told Aubrey all those months ago that she was just lonely. This is the Chloe that Aubrey saw in those first weeks that they spent together, when her smile didn't reach her eyes and she did seem lonely after all. Only this is somehow worse because Aubrey is the reason that she looks like this now.

Aubrey pulls Chloe close but Chloe doesn't relax against her like she normally does. "I won't be gone long." She says softly, kissing her temple. "Barely any time at all. I'll come back."

Chloe just steps away. "You say that now."

Aubrey gapes at her, surprised by her words. "What are you talking about? Of course I would."

But Chloe just shakes her head. "You don't know what might happen, Aubrey." She says softly.

"I do know that you're not up there." Aubrey insists, wanting to reach for Chloe again but not wanting to have her turn away once more. "I don't want to leave you." Her throat closes up at this idea, nearly swallowing the words. She feels panic at the very thought of losing Chloe.

Chloe just scoffs slightly. "I am up there."

Aubrey rolls her eyes. "Right. With another Aubrey."

"You don't know that." Chloe points out. "If your father was still alive, you never would have stopped working at his law firm. You never would have started baking. You told me that. We might never have met each other."

Aubrey shakes her head. "You don't know that." She argues, even though she feels like Chloe's points are all feasible. "Maybe it was fate…" She's never really believed in that but she's heard those words from Chloe before so maybe they'll work in this situation.

But Chloe doesn't look so easily convinced. "I just don't understand why you have to go. You don't know what's up there."

"You don't understand." Aubrey says simply. "Your parents are still alive. They love you. You have never disappointed them a day in your life. So you don't understand." The words come out a little more harshly than Aubrey intends. "And you can't look me in the face and tell me that if you had the chance, you wouldn't want to see your father or mother again after they had died. And you're right, I don't known what's up there and that's why I have to go."

"But that's not your father!" Chloe protests. "I don't know if they're copies or clones or if it's just some sort of cosmic joke but even if your dad really is up there on Earth Two, he's not really not really your dad." Her expression softens again and her shoulders slump slightly. "But you're right, I wouldn't be able to say no. It would be hard. But I don't think you're thinking this through, Aubrey."

Aubrey shakes her head. "What is there to think through? I'm not going to be there forever. I just have to know."

Chloe shakes her head. "You can't do anything to change what happened. It's not your fault Aubrey."

Aubrey closes her eyes. "You don't understand." She says again, softer this time. Because it is her fault and even after all this time, Chloe still doesn't understand that. If she had been a better daughter, if she had been the type of daughter her father had wanted…maybe things would have been different. Maybe Earth Two Aubrey knew better than to distract Marc while he was driving.

"Maybe I don't understand." Chloe sighs heavily, apparently exhausted with trying to reason out the situation. "But I understand stuff about you and me and I think that we really have something here. We're on our way to something that matters. Because I've never felt this way about anyone before and I don't want to lose what we have."

"We won't." Aubrey protests quickly, her words tinged with a hint of desperation. "That's not going to happen."

What she wants to say is _I love you _and _I don't want to lose you either _and _I've never felt this way about anyone before either_. But Aubrey doesn't say any of those things. Because even in this moment, when such a confession would be paramount, she still can't force the words past her lips. Aubrey puts her arms around Chloe again and this time Chloe holds her tightly, pressing her face against Aubrey's shoulder.

"I understand why you have to go," Chloe says softly against the fabric of her jacket, "but I wish you wouldn't."

Aubrey doesn't say anything at all because that's pretty much exactly how she feels.

* * *

Aubrey waits another week before she mentions the trip to Gail and the fact that she's going to need the time off. The week has been particularly hard for Aubrey because things with Chloe have become stilted and awkward. Even though Chloe didn't provide her with any type of ultimatum, Aubrey feels like that's what happened anyway. And she feels like she's failed. Because Chloe has been at the apartment only twice since their conversation and both times Aubrey woke up in the middle of the night because Chloe had moved away from her, something that never used to happen before. Chloe has never said _if you go, I won't be here when you get back_ but Aubrey has a steadily growing fear that that's what will happen.

Twice she's had the phone in her hand to call Stacie or Bumper or whoever and tell them that she's not gong to go, that they can give the spot to someone else. But she never places the call.

She has a week to either call to cancel or continue to mentally prepare herself to for what she might find on Earth Two when Aubrey finally gathers up the courage to talk to Gail. She comes into work early, unable to stay in a Chloe-less apartment any longer, and knocks on the doorframe of Gail's office even though the door is open. Gail smiles at her and gestures for her to take a seat in the other chair in the room, which is currently piled high with paperwork and magazines.

Aubrey carefully moves the pile to the floor and takes a deep breath. "I need to talk to you about something important."

Gail arches an eyebrow, turning away from her desk and giving Aubrey her full attention. "This seems serious." She remarks. "I think I know what you're going to say."

Aubrey looks at her doubtfully. "Really?"

"I think so." Gail nods. "I think it's been a long time coming. And I'm not exactly thrilled about it but I understand and I'm trying to be an adult about this whole thing."

Aubrey purses her lips. "Gail, I don't-"

"You're here to quit, right?" Gail interrupts. "So you can get a normal job like the rest of the world and ride off into the sunset with Chloe. I'm not thrilled about losing my awesome baker but you have to at least promise to come in and see me sometimes."

For a minute, Aubrey just looks at her before she finally shakes her head. "No. That's not…" She takes a deep breath once more in attempt to settle the thoughts in her head. "I need some time off. Do you remember hearing about that essay contest to win a trip to Earth Two? Well I won."

Now it's Gail's turn to just look at her, an uncomprehending look on her face. "You're going to Earth Two?" Aubrey nods. "For how long?" Aubrey tells her. "Is Chloe going with you?" Aubrey shakes her head. "Why?"

"I only won one spot." Aubrey replies, even though she has a feeling that's not what Gail is asking.

And she's right. "I mean _why_ are you going to Earth Two?" Gail clarifies. "What's the point."

Aubrey explains the Broken Mirror Theory even though she's sure that Gail has already heard about this idea and she explains about her father and the possibility that he might still be there on Earth Two and how she has to at least take this chance and what's below the atmosphere. And even though Aubrey feels like she makes a pretty convincing argument, Gail doesn't look at all impressed.

When Aubrey finally finishes her explanation, Gail just looks at her like she's never seen her before a day in her life. "What about Chloe?"

"What about Chloe?"

"I thought you guys were serious." Gail points out. "You seemed serious. You seemed happy. She seemed happy. I've never seen you act the way that you did when you were around her."

Aubrey shakes her head. "This has nothing to do with Chloe." She assures Gail. "I'm not going to be gone that long and I'll be back and it'll all be fine." She sounds a lot more sure of this than she feels.

Gail sits back in her chair, crossing her arms across her chest. "I don't understand what you're doing Aubrey." She shakes her head. "I can't even imagine what you've been through but you've been making this impossibly hard for yourself for the past three years. It's time to let the past be the past and focus on what's going to happen next."

"It's not that easy." Aubrey tells her. "I have to know."

"And what good will that do?" Gail arches an eyebrow. Aubrey has no answer for her. "You can't live in the past, Aubrey." She says gently.

Aubrey shakes her head. "That's not what this is." Why is she the only one that sees this?

Gail looks at her for a moment longer and then just shakes her head. "Well I really hope you find what you're looking for up there, Aubrey." She remarks. "Since you seem to believe that you can't find it down here."

For the first time in three years, Gail looks disappointed in her.

* * *

The day before she's set to leave for Earth Two, Aubrey manages to dial the number to Bumper's office but hangs up when she hears Stacie's voice on the other end of the line. She needs to go to Earth Two, she needs to stop wondering. And when she gets back, she'll have Chloe back and everything will finally be perfect.

Chloe feigns polite interest in the trip over Chinese takeout that night but her heart isn't in it. "Is it dangerous?"

"I had to sign a waiver that basically said if they die then it's not their fault." Aubrey shrugs. "And they asked if I had a will and everything. It was a little creepy."

Chloe puts down her sweet and sour chicken, put off by a conversation involving the possible death of the woman that she loves. "So do you? Have a will, I mean?"

Aubrey shakes her head. "I don't really have anything." She glances around the apartment. It's become a little bit more personal over the past couple of months thanks to Chloe's presence and pictures of the two of them and little tokens of the things they've done together. "You can have all my cookbooks if I burn up on re-entry." She means it to be funny but it's hard to joke about potential imminent death.

"You never did teach me how to bake bread." Chloe remarks, looking at Aubrey with a touch of sadness in her eyes.

"As soon as I get back." Aubrey promises her, forcing a smile on her face. "I promise."

Chloe doesn't say anything but it's clear from the look on her face that she doesn't quite believe this.

The following morning, for the first time in weeks, Aubrey wakes up with Chloe's arms still around her and the sound of Chloe's heartbeat in her ears. Chloe holds her close and whispers "I love you" in her ear but doesn't go farther than the sidewalk outside of Aubrey's apartment building. Instead Aubrey has to say her goodbyes standing in front of the taxi that is going to take her to the airport and to the private Bumper Allen commissioned jet that will take her to Florida. Aubrey watches Chloe disappear in the rearview mirror and almost tells the driver to turn around. But she just keeps her mouth shut throughout the drive.

* * *

It takes less than six days to make it to Earth Two and Aubrey thinks about Chloe the entire time.

**tbc. **


	6. In the Belly of the Beast

**A/N: **Thanks so much for your feedback! You guys rock! The title for this chapter comes from the song "The Lion, The Beast, The Beat" by Grace Potter and the Nocturnals.

**"I Found the Heart of a Lion in the Belly of the Beast"**

It would be impossible to truly explain Earth Two without using the words "eerie" and "surreal." It's almost like Aubrey has never left home. Everything is exactly the same, right down the airport in Florida and the plane she takes back to Hartsfield-Jackson. And it's like coming home, except for it's not. Because there's something small, something slightly off that keeps Aubrey from feeling like she truly is home. It's nothing obvious, nothing she can put her finger on. Just something that she can feel in the back of her mind, a nagging _something_ that just makes her feel like she's constantly being watched. Of course, no one on Earth Two pays her any more attention than usual. That is to say, her scar is the only thing that causes those second looks. There's nothing that sets her apart from the people of Earth Two.

At first, Aubrey isn't sure what she should do. Now that she's actually here, she feels even more foolish. Everything is the same; if the Broken Mirror Theory is indeed correct, it definitely doesn't apply to life-changing things like her father still being alive. She's made a huge mistake and all she wants is Chloe. Aubrey can't even reach out and call her; she can't hear her voice or apologize for being an idiot. All she has is the pictures on her phone and the framed one she packed in her suitcase.

Aubrey goes to a hotel first, checking in and finding her room. She unpacks carefully, hanging up her clothes and putting some in drawers. She lays her toiletries out on the counter and puts the picture on the bedside table. But now she doesn't have anything else to distract her from doing what she came here to do. If her father is dead, then she just needs to know. If he's not well…she needs to know that too.

Aubrey gets a phone book from the front desk, even though she knows exactly where her father's office is located. After her father died, her uncle took over the practice and, as far as she knows, is still doing quite well. She finds the listing for Posen and Associates in the Yellow Pages and it's exactly where she knew it would be.

By the time she reaches the building, Aubrey feels like her heart is going to burst right out of her chest. She hasn't seen the building in four years. Exactly. Four years ago today was the last time she saw her father alive, the last time she walked through these doors, the last time she was the person who worked here. Aubrey swallows down the urge to vomit and tries to take a few deep breathes to steady her breathing and her pounding heart. Twice she pushes open the doors, only to turn back around and step onto the sidewalk. She hopes no one can see her.

Finally Aubrey takes a deep breath and walks into the lobby. It all looks exactly the same. It smells the way she remembers it. It's almost as though it's been four minutes, not four years. Amy, the receptionist who has been working the front desk since Aubrey started working at the practice, is still setting behind the desk, a phone tucked between her ear and shoulder, typing something into the computer. She looks up, gives Aubrey a tight smile and then glances back toward her computer. But then her head whips back in Aubrey's direction, her face going pale and her mouth dropping open. She drops the phone and stares at Aubrey.

Aubrey figures that she should have prepared for this moment, when she saw someone from her old life and they recognized her as well. Maybe Amy is shocked to see another Aubrey on Earth Two. But she looks like she's seen a ghost, which doesn't make Aubrey feel good about the possibility of her father being alive. It looks like Amy hasn't seen her in four years, which would keep in line with her own life. Could this whole trip really have been for nothing? Could she have ruined everything that she has with Chloe because of some idiotic _what if_?

"Holy shit." Amy breathes out, her Australian accent just as thick as Aubrey remembers. She never understood why her father hired her but she couldn't exactly question his decisions. And it seems like Amy is obviously doing something right if she's kept working for Posen and Associates for the past four years. "Aubrey."

Swallowing, Aubrey nods, fidgeting nervously as she steps toward the desk. "Hi, Amy." She can't keep from reaching up and checking to make sure that her hair is down across the right side of her face. Of course Aubrey knows that it's not going to make her scar invisible but it makes her feel a little better.

Amy is still staring at her with wide eyes, her face ashen. "You…you're from…Earth Two?"

It's funny to hear Amy call what Aubrey considers Earth One by a different name. Maybe things aren't so different up here after all. "Yes." Aubrey nods. "I…I was…I came…" She swallows again, trying to calm herself. "My father…"

"I'll call him for you." Amy assures her quickly, picking up the phone once more and punching in several numbers.

Her words nearly make Aubrey sink down to the floor. She's uncertain if her legs will continue to support her. _I'll call him for you_. Simple as that, no hesitation. Aubrey feels like she can't breathe and the urge to throw up is back. She manages to make it to the chairs in the lobby, burying her face in her hands. Her father is alive. He's upstairs. He's alive.

"Aubrey?" And that's her father's voice, exactly as she remembers it. Aubrey lifts her head and there's her father. She just stares at him, unable to process what she's seeing. He looks older, his hair has gone gray and he has more wrinkles in her face. But his expression is still as stern and no-nonsense as Aubrey remembers.

Marc looks surprised to see her in a way that Aubrey feels doesn't quite fit in with just being surprised to see his duplicate daughter. He walks over to her and Aubrey stands without thinking and he pulls her into a stiff and slightly awkward hug but it's a hug nonetheless and Aubrey is pretty sure that they haven't hugged since she was six years old and broke her arm.

When they pull away, Marc gives her the once over, still looking as shocked as Aubrey feels. He reaches up to push her hair away from her face before Aubrey is aware of it and he flinches when he sees the scar there. "What happened to your face?" Aubrey chalks the tone of his voice up to surprise and nothing more. Clearly Earth Two Aubrey didn't suffer the same fate she did in the accident.

Aubrey puts her hand to her cheek self-consciously. "I…uh…" How do you find the words to tell someone that they've been dead for the past four years?

Marc's expression softens slightly and he puts a hand on the small of her back. "Let's go up to my office. I feel like we have a lot to talk about."

Aubrey follows after him dutifully. Amy continues to stare at her as she walks by and several other people that Aubrey used to work with on a daily basis come out of their offices to gape as she walks past. She feels her cheeks heat up and she tries to ignore the staring. She passes by her old office but her name plate is no longer on the door but the door is shut so she can't see what the office looks like inside.

Marc gestures for Aubrey to take a seat in the chair across from his desk and Aubrey sits without protest. She remembers taking this seat many times before and listening to her father point out her poor performances or the reasons why she lost a case or why her wins weren't as solid as they could have been.

"So," Marc begins after moments of awkward silence settle between them, "you're from the other Earth." Aubrey nods, even though it's clearly more of a statement. "You…you seem surprised to see me." He ventures and Aubrey just nods again. "Why did you come here?"

Aubrey tries to figure out the best way to answer that question. "I…four years ago, there was an accident and you…you didn't survive." _And it was my fault_, Aubrey manages to keep from adding. She doesn't want to ruin what's going on between them right now. "I heard that things on Earth Two…here…might be different than things that happened where I'm from. So I…I wanted to know…"

Marc nods slowly, listening to her halting explanation. "Well I guess that theory is definitely true." He remarks without much amusement in his voice. "I remember the night you're talking about, very well in fact. That same accident…" He sighs slightly and Aubrey has never seen her father look so uncertain before. "Aubrey, you…my daughter, she didn't survive the accident. She died at the scene. And now here you are…sitting in my office…" Marc shakes his head. "It's amazing."

Aubrey feels like his words skate right over her head at first. It's almost like a delay in the processing of the information; her mind is still stuck on _my father is alive_ and misses _I died that night_. She doesn't blame herself for failing to register that information because on some basic level, it just doesn't make sense. She's not dead after all, she's still right here; her heart is beating so hard in her chest that it's almost painful. Clearly she's not dead.

But then Aubrey starts to realize what it is that Marc has said. Things on Earth Two are drastically different than back home; there is no Aubrey Two, she has no other self to meet.

Aubrey is sure that she has an uncomprehending look on her face when she glances up at Marc. He just purses his lips and gives her a terse nod. "I know it's a lot to process. But there's no use in dwelling over it. It was four years ago. And clearly you were effected by the accident as well." He gestures toward the scar down on her face.

Aubrey feels like it would be useless to point out that _obviously _she was effected by the accident. Her father died, she lost her family, she had to totally reinvent who she was. Even though she never really acted like it, the scar was the least of her worries.

"Now we have a chance to start over." Marc continues, not seeming at all phased by the fact that the conversation had previously been about his dead daughter. "It's almost like a miracle."

Aubrey is so distracted by the thoughts running through her head that she doesn't bother to point out that it's only temporary.

Marc still has a great deal of work to do, so he sends Aubrey out of his office with instructions to meet at the house at six o'clock that night for dinner. "Your mother will be pleased to see you." He says as he escorts Aubrey back down to the lobby.

Aubrey isn't quite sure what to do with herself now. In a way, this trip is exactly what she hoped it would be: her father is still alive and he's happy to see her. But on the other hand, it seems like everything has gone drastically wrong.

Without even thinking, Aubrey feels herself walking toward a place she has visited only twice in the past four years and never before on this day. Even though she feels like it's tradition to visit the gravesite of a loved one on the anniversary of their death, Aubrey has never been able to bring herself to do just that. She's always told herself that it's because she hasn't wanted to risk running into her family but that doesn't explain why she's only been twice to see the spot where her father was buried. She has always been unable to admit to herself that her father was dead and gone. Obviously. She traveled millions of miles because of the remote possibility that he was still alive.

But now, Aubrey finds herself walking in that direction. There are several other Posens buried in the plot, like her grandparents and relatives that she never met or knew the existence of. The stone right next to her grandmother's, where her father's lies back home, bears a different name. Under her name and the appropriate dates, it says simply _beloved daughter_ and nothing more. Aubrey wonders who picked out the inscription and she wonders if Aubrey Two had a different relationship with her parents up here, because Aubrey certainly never felt that way back home.

But things will be different now. Marc had been pleased to see her, relieved almost. And her mother will undoubtedly feel the same. Because the daughter that they thought they had lost has been returned to them; why would past failures possibly matter?

Clearly Marc has told his wife who is going to be joining them for dinner that night because when Gwen opens the door for Aubrey, her expression of surprise is far less than what you would expect to see if someone had just come face to face with their dead daughter. Gwen steps aside so Aubrey can enter the house. Aubrey lets her eyes scan the décor briefly, noting that nothing has changed since the last time she stepped foot into this house. Well, not _this_ house but one exactly like it. It still looks as impersonal as a show-home and smells like furniture polish and nothing homey or comforting.

Gwen stands there looking Aubrey over carefully and her eyes linger on the scar on Aubrey's face. "You look just like her." Gwen muses. It seems like she's the only one so far who has kept a crucial piece of information in mind: Aubrey is not their daughter, not the one they raised for twenty-four years. She might look like her and have her memories but that daughter is dead now. "Well…almost just like her." Gwen's eyes are still on Aubrey's scar.

After being with Chloe, it's become almost possible to see the scar through her girlfriend's eyes. But now Aubrey is reminded of the reality of the situation, how ugly and noticeable it truly is.

Gwen doesn't hug her the way that Marc did or give much indication at all that she's happy to see Aubrey. They've never been an overly affectionate family, so this doesn't bother Aubrey as much as she wonders if it should. It's more normal than anything else, like walking into her home at any other time in her life.

It's just the three of them for dinner, though Aubrey does ask about her brother's whereabouts. She doesn't know anything about what her Brad is doing back home either, so she can't even begin to guess what he's doing here. Brad is apparently living in Charlotte with his wife and their first child, a two-year-old boy named after his grandfather. Aubrey's heart lurches at the thought of a nephew, a little boy that she's never even known the existence of. More family that has been kept from her.

"So, Aubrey," Marc begins once they've eaten most their meal in slightly uncomfortable silence, "what have you been doing for these past few years? Making a name for yourself in the firm, no doubt."

Aubrey swallows and shakes her head. She feels like she's lost the rest of her appetite and she's not really sure why. Well, she has a pretty good idea if she's being honest. It's the same reason that she never quit the firm back home, why she never told her father that she wanted to do something other than be a lawyer.

"No, I've actually been…" She pauses, gathering her thoughts. Her father hates it when she stammers and is unfocused. Or, well, she assumes that this Marc would hate that too. "I've been working at a bakery for the past several years. I'm the main baker there." Or, at least, she was. Will that still be waiting for her when she gets back? Will anything?

Marc frowns, his brow creasing at this information. "You're making your living as a baker?" He repeats. Aubrey nods. "I also thought you would grow out of that hobby."

There is no disconnect between herself and the Aubrey that used to live here and the idea is almost unsettling to the Aubrey currently sitting at this table. Her memories, her desires, her interests…they all belong to another her, a person who is no longer alive. It's surreal. Her father, this man sitting across from her, he's known _her_ for a handful of hours. But he knows her with an intimacy that unnerves Aubrey.

"It's not a hobby, sir." Aubrey protests. "It's something I enjoy doing. And something I'm good at." She never felt that way about being a lawyer; she was a good law _student_ but she lacked the passion for law that she found in baking.

But, of course, this doesn't seem to impress Marc. Just like Aubrey knew it would never impress her own father. "Well, we'll get you back where you belong." He remarks, a little bit cryptically and he goes back to eating, a sure signal that the conversation is over.

Later, Gwen wordlessly collects their plates and heads into the kitchen, ignoring Aubrey's offer to help. Marc doesn't seem to think anything of the behavior but Aubrey feels a little stung. Her mother was never welcoming but she was never this chilly either. But, of course, this isn't really her mother. This is a woman who looks like her mother but is someone that she's never seen before in her life.

Aubrey excuses herself to the bathroom, mostly to get away from this bizarre déjà vu type situation for a few minutes. When she comes back to the dining room, her father is absent from the table as well but she can hear the murmur of voices in the kitchen and she can't help but creep closer.

"This is completely ridiculous, Marc." Gwen is saying, her voice low and strained. "She is not our daughter."

"_You're_ being ridiculous, Gwen." Marc replies, his tone dismissive. "We have a chance here to start over. How many people can say that? And I'm not suggesting we replace Aubrey with-"

"That's exactly what you're suggesting." Gwen snaps and Aubrey hears the sound of silverware clattering in the sink. "That girl looks like Aubrey, she talks like Aubrey, she even has the same memories as Aubrey. But it's not _our_ Aubrey. And you are not her father." She adds this last part harshly, almost as though she's aware that Aubrey is listening in.

Aubrey swallows and backs away from the door, going to sit back down at the table. Because her mother, or _not _her mother, is right. These are not her parents, not really. Suddenly her head is pounding and she has to fight down the urge to rush back to the bathroom to throw up.

Marc returns to the kitchen, smiling like the conversation in the kitchen never happened. But Aubrey is no longer in the mood for polite conversation with her dead and estranged family members. She mutters an excuse about major jetlag and leaves her childhood home with the promise to meet Marc for lunch tomorrow.

Once Aubrey is back in the quiet of her hotel room, she sits down on the edge of the bed and stares at the blank wall in front of her. She can't even begin to make sense of what she's found on Earth Two. Even though it's exactly what she wanted, it all feels wrong.

Aubrey changes into her pajamas, washes her face and brushes her teeth before climbing into bed. The hour is still relatively early but she feels so tired that even her bones ache.

All she wants is to talk to Chloe. She wants to kiss her and hold her against her chest and tell Chloe everything, every little detail about the time they've been apart. Because no one can make sense of the thoughts in her head the way that Chloe can. But Chloe is millions of miles away, in another lifetime.

The bed seems impossibly and painfully empty and Aubrey feels more alone than she has since the months following the accident. Thinking about Chloe only makes her feel even more alone instead of comforted. Yeah, she took this trip to see if her father was still alive, if that possibility existed somewhere in the universe. But now she has no idea what to do next. Things are much more complicated than she ever could have anticipated. And, Aubrey is finally starting to wonder what she's had to give up to explore this possibility.

Aubrey thinks about what Chloe is possibly doing right now; knowing Chloe, she's ordering takeout from her favorite Indian place and getting ready to watch some show on TLC about families with way too many children or people overcoming impossible odds. Chloe loves those docu-dramas and Aubrey has seen her get teary-eyed on more than one occasion. And it's thinking about Chloe in this mundane, daily moments that finally makes Aubrey cry for the first time in years. She presses her face into her pillow and cries until she's too exhausted to keep herself awake.

* * *

The following morning, Aubrey finds herself unable to bite down her curiosity and heads to the Sunrise Bakery. For obvious reasons, Aubrey Posen has never been an employee of the bakery on Earth Two and she's interested to see who this Gail has working for her. Has Beca become the full time baker or does Gail have someone else at her disposal?

It's weird to go into the bakery and have no one know who she is. No one has any idea that she's spent hundreds of hours in the kitchens beyond the swinging doors, laboring over breads and bagels and cookies and pastries and loving every minute of it. Aubrey feels a stab in her chest when she thinks about the night that Chloe surprised her at the bakery and how they spent the next several hours together, talking and laughing and slowly getting to know each other. Aubrey is pretty sure that's the night that she first started falling in love with Chloe.

Jessica is bagging up pastries and slicing bagels and making coffees and lattes while Gail works the register. She looks just as cheerful as the Gail Aubrey has known and it's weird to see the bakery running without her. Gail doesn't treat her any differently than any of the other customers when Aubrey orders a coffee and a bagel to go, unaware that Aubrey considers that Gail back on Earth One to be her surrogate mother.

The trip does little to make Aubrey feel less homesick.

* * *

The next three days pass in a bit of a blur and before she knows it, Aubrey has reached the halfway point of her trip. Soon she's going to need to start making her preparations to get back down to Florida so Bumper's shuttle doesn't leave without her. It's strange to think about leaving in a way. Because Aubrey feels almost like she's been transported back four years ago and is living the life that she had before her father died. It's comforting in a way; it's something predictable, something she knows how to navigate. It's all too easy to just do everything her father suggests and let him be proud of her for once.

Three days before she's due to go back home, Marc takes Aubrey out to dinner at an upscale restaurant that she knows he often takes high-rolling clients out to. She's been to this place a few times with him during those meetings but strictly under the be-seen-and-not-heard context.

Marc dominates the majority of the conversation, discussing cases and little tidbits of personal information from the past four years. Aubrey just listens and nods and contributes little and it's so much like how things used to be with her father that she forgets the vastly different circumstances.

Once the waiter takes their plates away and refills their wine glasses, Marc questions without a hint of sensitivity, "Have you considered plastic surgery?"

The change in conversation topic catches Aubrey by surprise. "Sir?"

Marc gestures toward her face with his wine glass. "Plastic surgery. For that scar. I'm sure a good doctor would be able to do wonders. Make you good as new."

Aubrey's brow knits and she reaches up to touch the scar hidden behind her hair. "I…" She's not quite sure how to respond to his comment. "I've never thought about it." She mumbles rather than allow herself to take offense.

"You should." Marc nods thoughtfully. "It would make a huge difference."

Aubrey hears Chloe's voice in her head as clear as if she was taking part in the conversation. _You're beautiful_. Chloe used to whisper those words to her so many times that Aubrey almost started to believe them. And she hears them now in her head but it's harder to listen with her father's suggestions of plastic surgery and his implications that the way she is now isn't good enough.

_You've been nothing but a disappointment_. Aubrey purses her lips as her father's last words weasel their way into her thoughts. She looks at Marc sitting across from her, sipping his wine and talking about a good doctor that he knows from the country club. Aubrey wonders if this Marc is thinking those words as he looks at her now: his "daughter" the disfigured baker. What a disappointment.

After they leave the restaurant, Marc hands the valet the ticket for the car and they stand on the curb, shivering in the late winter wind. "So your trip is coming to an end, isn't it?" Marc questions, slipping his hands in the pocket of his jacket.

Aubrey nods, wrapping her arms around herself. She thinks about the days leading up to Christmas when the heat went out in her apartment building and she and Chloe spent two days cocooned in blankets and jackets and each other and Chloe made hot chocolate and Aubrey kissed her every time she started shivering because Chloe had said that only Aubrey could warm her up. The dork. She wonders if Chloe is shivering in the same breeze and it makes her heart ache.

"Don't just nod, Aubrey." Marc chides. "It's lazy."

"Yes, sir." Aubrey says on reflex, wrapping her arms tighter around herself.

Marc seems satisfied with a verbal response. "Well, I've been talking it over with some of the other partners in the firm and we've decided that it only made sense if you stayed and worked at the firm once more. Took your old spot, so to speak."

Aubrey looks over at him, surprised by this suggestion. "Stay here?"

"It just makes the most sense." Marc assures her. "What do you really have to go back to? A job at a bakery. You could have your old position back, we can get that scar taken care of. It'll be a new start for all of us."

She fails to see how it's a new start for him but doesn't point this out. "I don't know, sir." Aubrey begins. "I have-"

Marc interrupts her before she can finish. "Career wise, it makes the most sense for you to stay here." He informs her. "You could just pick up where you left off. Working at an esteemed law firm, building a reputation."

"I can't just stay here." Aubrey tells him. "I want to go back home. There's someone there, waiting for me." Or so she hopes. She really hopes.

This seems to interest Marc. "Really? You haven't mentioned a boyfriend." He seems almost pleased, which doesn't surprise Aubrey. After all, she didn't have a very successful love life four years ago so Marc is undoubtedly remembering all her dating catastrophes.

Aubrey swallows and looks down at her feet. "It's…I don't…" She purses her lips. "Her name is Chloe."

Marc tenses slightly, keeping his gaze straight ahead. "I see." He says, his jaw clinching. Aubrey watches him out of the corner of her eye, trying to gauge his reaction. She doubts that even if things were different with her family that she would bring Chloe around all that often. "Well, another reason to stay here. Just start over and put that phase behind you."

Aubrey can't keep the incredulous tone from her voice. "It's not a _phase_, sir." She assures him. "You don't know anything about our relationship." Four years ago, she never would have dared argue so openly. Four years ago, she never would have let herself fall in love with Chloe. It's starting to become obvious that it wasn't the accident that is solely to blame for the unhappiness in her life.

Marc looks at her, arching his eyebrows. "Well, I do know that you came here. You took the chance that things would be different here. But why? Just so you could say that they are? Just so you would know one way or the other?"

Aubrey doesn't respond because she really doesn't know what to say. He's right, in a way. She took the chance, maybe at the risk of everything she loved, just to see if there was a possibility that things would be different. And now what? Does she just go back home with the knowledge that her father is still alive on Earth Two, that the world is continuing on without her instead of him? Or does she do something with that information?

Marc doesn't give her a chance to process the answer to that question. "You're a Posen. Just having the information isn't going to be enough. You have to do something with it." He nods, certain in this assumption. "A new start just makes sense. The job at the firm is rightfully yours. You're my daughter. All those years of bordering school and law school, all the opportunities I've provided you, all those things have lead up to this life. You're a Posen," he says again, "you're destined for greatness. Not working in some bakery and shacking up with some girl."

Maybe some of that is true. Maybe this Aubrey on this Earth was destined for those things that her father is talking about now. But maybe she wasn't meant for those same things. Chloe is always talking about things like destiny and good timing and Aubrey has always just rolled her eyes and listened good-humoredly but maybe she's onto something after all. Because she didn't die in that accident four years ago and maybe working in some bakery and shacking up with some girl was the reason for that.

Aubrey looks at her father and just shakes her head. "No, sir." She tells him, using the same words that she used on the night that Earth Two first appeared in the sky. Only this time she is able to look him in the face while she says them. "I don't want to work in the firm. I want to go back home."

Marc somehow manages to look both flabbergasted and incensed at the same time. "You don't mean that Aubrey." He says as the valet finally brings their car around. "Think about what you're giving up."

And Aubrey does think. About Gail and baking and about how unhappy she was in the years leading up to her father's death. And she thinks about Chloe. "I am thinking about that."

The valet comes around to give Marc the keys but he ignores the boy standing there with the keys outstretched. "You're making a big mistake." He tells Aubrey, his tone suggesting that there's a great deal more he would love to say if they weren't in a public place.

Aubrey doesn't say anything at all. She's definitely made her share of mistakes but she doesn't feel like this is one of them.

Marc finally snatches the keys away without looking at the valet. He shakes his head, his eyes narrowed as he looks at Aubrey. "I'm disappointed in you Aubrey."

_You've been nothing but a disappointment_. This time, Aubrey barely flinches at the memory that runs through her mind. She doesn't say anything as she watches Marc get into the car and speed off, leaving her standing there on the curb next to the valet. She declines his offer to call her a cab and uses the walk back to her hotel room to clear her head. Much to her surprise, she doesn't once wish she had done things differently.

* * *

It seems very unlikely that Marc or any member of her family will be interested in seeing her again, so Aubrey doesn't know how to spend the last few days of her time on Earth Two. She briefly considers the idea of going to Charlotte to see her brother and his new family but can only imagine what it would be like to find your supposedly dead sister standing on your doorstep. So she quickly vetoes that idea.

That Friday evening, she's set to fly back to Florida and she feels more anxiety that she did on the night leading up to flying to Earth Two. She might not have known what was going to await her on Earth Two but whatever it was was only temporary, something she could ultimately leave behind. Now she's heading back to the world she _did_ leave behind and she can only hope that everything there is exactly how she left it.

These are the worries that Aubrey is turning over in her mind as she heads back to her hotel room after a late lunch. She's so lost in the heaviness of her thoughts that she isn't paying attention to where she's going and runs right into someone stepping out of the store on her right.

Aubrey steps back, fumbling out an apology for her own carelessness. But the words die on her lips when she realizes who she's run into. She would know that flash of red hair and shine of blue eyes anywhere. Aubrey can't keep the surprised expression off her face as she looks right at Chloe, only it's not her Chloe at all. She might look like the woman she's fallen in love with but they've never met. As far as this Chloe is concerned, they're perfect strangers.

But that doesn't stop Aubrey from breathing out her name, much to the confusion of the Chloe standing in front of her. "I'm sorry, do I know you?" The smile on Chloe's face is more polite than openly friendly and is such a contrast from the one she wore on her face when they met at the Sunrise Bakery all those months ago.

Aubrey isn't quite sure how to answer that question. Chloe is looking at her expectantly and Aubrey just shakes her head. "Uh…no." She clears her throat. "Not really."

Chloe looks at her for a moment longer and Aubrey can tell that she's puzzling over her words and her reaction to their meeting. Chloe looks like a small part of her knows that she should know Aubrey and is desperately trying to call up that information but in the end, her mind just comes up blank.

For a moment, they just stand there and Aubrey feels a hollowness in her chest as she stares at this person who means more to her than anyone else, this person who is now looking at her like a perfect stranger. Aubrey doesn't think that she can handle the possibility of this being the reality with the Chloe that she does know. This Chloe's eyes lack the warmth and love and understanding that Aubrey is so used to seeing. Aubrey can't help but wonder…all this time she'd been so sure that Chloe was the one who had saved her and brought her out of whatever dark place she'd been in for the past few years. Now she wonders if maybe she'd done the same thing for Chloe, even in some small way. And Aubrey can't stand the idea of seeing that same look on her Chloe's face, especially not if she's the one who put it there.

And Aubrey remembers for the first time the words that Chloe said in passing months before, words that never really registered until now. _Everybody always leaves_. Now Aubrey can include herself in that list. Hopefully the fact that she's going to come back will make a difference.

"Well," Chloe's voice brings Aubrey back to the present, back to this other Chloe and this other world, "I should be going." She's looking at Aubrey like she thinks Aubrey might be a little bit crazy and she's ready to get out of this situation.

Aubrey can only imagine how she's looked to Chloe: standing there silently, this weird look on her face, a million miles away. She forces a smile on her face. "Right. Me too."

After all, she has somewhere very important to be.

**tbc. **


	7. Jupiter

**A/N: **Okay so this is the end. Thanks to everyone for all your reviews, thoughts and comments. I hope that this admittedly short chapter does not come as a disappointment after some of the thoughts I've heard from you guys. I hope everyone enjoys it anyway! Thanks for all the feedback and for sticking with this story until the end!

**"Jupiter" **

Being back home is surreal in a different way than being on Earth Two was. It's hard to adjust to the idea that everything she sees her, the things that she loves about her home, these things are found elsewhere in the galaxy and are perfect copies of the things she's looking at now. The trees, the leaves, the street signs and the people and the music and the smells, all of it exists somewhere else. But that doesn't change the fact that all of these things make up her home.

Aubrey gets back to her apartment and the space seems cold and lonely now. It's clear that no one has stepped foot in the place since she left weeks ago and even though she didn't expect Chloe to hang around her place while she was gone, it still seems like a bad omen. She picks up her phone, intending to call Chloe, but finds herself just staring at the picture on the background; it was taken by Chloe's mom on Christmas afternoon and Chloe looks beautiful in her dress, the smile on her face as radiant as ever. Aubrey puts the phone down before she can call Chloe because she knows that hearing her voice won't be enough.

Even though she's completely exhausted and wants nothing more than to pour herself into bed and sleep for days, Aubrey puts her shoes back on and heads back out of her apartment.

This time when she walks into the Sunrise Bakery, she definitely catches everyone's attention. Benji is working behind the counter and stops midsentence to glance at her when she walks through the door. At first he looks surprised and confused but his expression quickly turns to a welcoming one and he offers her a hesitant smile. And, for the first time, Aubrey manages to return the gesture and mean it.

Thankfully, Gail is still at the bakery, holed up in the office in the back, puzzling over the paperwork. The kitchen is still silent and still; Beca or whoever is doing the baking isn't due in for another two hours. Aubrey knocks on the door frame and to say Gail looks shocked when she sees her standing there is an understatement.

"Aubrey." Gail arches an eyebrow. "You're back."

"Yeah, I am." Aubrey rolls her eyes. "Why is everyone acting like they never expected to see me again?"

Gail gives her a look. "Well, I don't think anyone really thought you were coming back. I mean it doesn't seem like the type of trip you take just for fun."

Aubrey doesn't bother to comment on this. Half of the people who went to Earth Two declined to make the return trip and while Aubrey has no idea what their reasons for staying are, she hopes that they're happy up there.

"I told you I was coming back." Aubrey says instead, her tone haughty.

"And now here you are." Gail gives Aubrey the once over, as though trying to find some minute difference now that she's been to this other world and come back. "Did you meet the other you?"

Aubrey shakes her head. "Nope. She's dead." She tells Gail bluntly, feeling like she deserves it for her cold and snippy attitude. Gail looks appropriately surprised. "But I met my father, if that's your next question. And here I am, so that should tell you everything else you need to know."

Even though Aubrey can tell that Gail is curious, she keeps her questions to herself. Just like she's always done in the past. And maybe sometime Aubrey will tell her everything, about the accident and about her trip to Earth Two and every other detail in between. But not right now.

"So have you seen Chloe yet?" Gail questions in lieu of whatever it is that she really wants to ask.

Aubrey shakes her head. "Not yet." Gail frowns, clearly not pleased with this answer. "I wanted to see you first."

"Well, I'm really touched Aubrey but I really could have waited until tomorrow." Gail remarks, rolling her eyes. "Seriously, it's depressing, seeing Chloe come in here. She made the other customers sad. You need to fix that."

Aubrey's brow knits and she feels a tug in her heart. Maybe she shouldn't be wasting her time with Gail; she should be holding Chloe to her right now and promising never to let her go again.

"Well I needed to see you first." Aubrey says again. "I have a favor to ask." Gail looks impressed by the fact that after being gone for almost three weeks that she's waltzing in asking for a favor. "I need to use the kitchen tonight. I won't get in Beca's way and I won't be here all night, I just don't have any of the stuff I need at home."

Gail rolls her eyes and shakes her head. "Aubrey, sometimes I worry about your priorities." She remarks.

Aubrey smirks. "Also I quit." She tells Gail. "But if you ever need a daytime baker, you can look me up."

This seems to please Gail far more than news of an employee quitting ever should. "Priorities Posen." She nods. "That's what I'm talking about."

And, of course she lets Aubrey use the kitchen that night. It takes all of Aubrey's self-control not to try and walk Beca through the steps of baking each of the loaves and pastries. Instead Aubrey just stays focused on her own task, relieved when she finishes and can leave Beca's mess behind.

Even though it's getting late, Aubrey can't stop herself from hurrying from the bakery and in the direction of Chloe's apartment. She's only been to Chloe's place a handful of times but she manages to get there without too much trouble. It's late and she knows that Chloe has to work in the morning and she feels guilty for getting ready to undoubtedly wake her up but she can't wait another second of wondering how Chloe is going to react when she sees her again. And she can't go another second of letting Chloe think that she's not coming back.

Aubrey knocks on the front door until one of Chloe's roommates, Spencer or Samantha or something answers and looks less than amused to see Aubrey standing there. She mutters some sort of vague answer when Aubrey asks if Chloe is in but she doesn't shut the door in Aubrey's face so she takes that to mean that she can head down the hallway toward Chloe's room.

For a moment, Aubrey stands outside of Chloe's door, her hand frozen in preparation for knocking. Finally she takes a deep breathe and raps her knuckles against the door before she chickens out and ends up standing there all night.

"Go 'way." Comes Chloe's mumbled response from the other side of the door. "I have to get up early guys, you know this."

Aubrey knocks again, worrying her bottom lip. She can hear Chloe mutter a string of curses and seconds later the door flies up. "_What_?"

Chloe's expression changes drastically when she sees Aubrey standing there in front of her. Her mouth drops open and she just looks at her like she, too, expected to never see her again.

"Chloe-" Aubrey's words are silenced abruptly when Chloe grabs her and pulls her in for a kiss. The kiss steals Aubrey's breath and leaves her feeling lightheaded and ravenous for more. Chloe pulls her into the bedroom, pushing the door closed behind them by shoving Aubrey into it and Aubrey hardly minds. Chloe kisses the scar down her face and the curve of her jaw and Aubrey struggles to catch her breath as Chloe's lips trail down her neck. "This is not what I was expecting…"

Chloe lifts her head, a smile on her bruised lips. "You came back." She says softly, almost as though she can't believe the truth to her words.

Aubrey smiles. "Of course." She pulls Chloe in for another kiss, this one more gentle and less frenzied than the ones before it.

"Why?" Chloe questions when they pull away to catch their breath once again.

Aubrey had a whole speech worked out. She was going to deliver it before begging for Chloe's forgiveness but it seems to have all flown out of her head thanks to all the kissing. She was not anticipating all the kissing prior to the delivery of her speech. She'd been hoping that it might come later, but definitely not before. Unfortunately she can't remember a single word of her speech that isn't _I'm sorry_ or _I'm such an idiot_.

So what comes out is this, "When we were on the way to Earth Two, I just kept thinking about that class trip and how no one would have ever thought there was another Earth up there in the sky somewhere. And I started thinking about the first time I saw Jupiter and how it had been almost like magic, something I couldn't understand but it was so beautiful anyway. I couldn't take my eyes off it." Aubrey purses her lips and takes a shaky breath. "You're like the first time I saw Jupiter." She blurts. "The way you make me feel…I shouldn't have had to go up there to realize that I already had exactly what I've been looking for all of this time. And I love you. And I'm sorry that I couldn't say it before but I love you and I've wanted to say it so many times but I just couldn't…and I love you and I'm sorry."

Chloe just grins and kisses Aubrey again, pushing her back against the door. "I want to hear all about Earth Two," she informs Aubrey in between kisses, "but I'm really tired of talking right now."

Aubrey finally remembers to drop her purse and the bag in her hand so that she can grab Chloe and walk her backward toward the bed, which groans under their weight when they fall back onto the mattress. And yeah, there's nowhere else that Aubrey would rather be.

* * *

"I did have a secret weapon in case you slammed the door shut in my face." Aubrey confesses later, after they've sufficiently celebrated her return from Earth Two. At least, for the moment anyway. Chloe has already called out of work for the day, opting to take a long weekend, the majority of which will hopefully be spent exactly where they are now.

Chloe looks at Aubrey curiously. "A secret weapon?" She questions, intrigued. "Maybe I should have held out for this."

Aubrey rolls her eyes and swats her arm. She gets out of bed to retrieve the bag that she brought with her, which was thankfully not stepped on during their rush to get to the bed. She hands the bag to Chloe as she climbs back into bed beside her.

Chloe opens the bag and grins when she pulls out a snickerdoodle, taking a bite even though it's seven in the morning and she hasn't had anything remotely resembling breakfast. "Yeah, I definitely should have held out for these." She closes her eyes, a blissful expression on her face as she takes another bite.

Aubrey just shakes her head, trying to hide the amused expression on her face. "Well, I guess I know the way to your heart." She remarks.

"Baked goods are always a safe bet." Chloe assures her, giving Aubrey a quick kiss. "You can't go wrong."

"I can show you how to make them sometime." Aubrey suggests. "After you master baking bread, of course."

Chloe sets the bag on the nightstand and moves closer to Aubrey, resting her head on the blonde's shoulder. "I think that can wait. I really don't want to move right now." She closes her eyes, a languid smile spreading across her face.

Aubrey feels her own eyes start to droop closed and she pulls Chloe closer to her. And she thinks this not moving thing…well Chloe is probably onto something. She's fine with staying right where she is.

**end. **


End file.
